


Hearts Out, Minds Open

by br_kenglass



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam (Voltron) Lives, Established Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Headcanon, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and mistakes, and the over-use of tags, established klance later, i'm usually sleep deprived while writing so, klance mention later, mostly follows canon, sorry for continuity errors, the Holts are the main supply of it in the beginning, the alteans are minor in this sorry, there's so much salt and sarcasm lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-07-18 13:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16119413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/br_kenglass/pseuds/br_kenglass
Summary: "Dying a couple times wasn't as bad as it sounds!""Takashi, at least die when I can be there to mourn for you.""No, really, it was fun being stuck in the astral plane. I didn't have to be responsible for, like, a long time! A really long time! Adam, I legitimately felt like I was getting younger while I was dead."Or, the story about the adashi love story and when Shiro came back then Adam tried to beat his ass up.





	1. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The struggles of being Takashi Shirogane and how it all began.

_**Flashback: Shiro's Third Year of Teaching**_

"Are you gonna talk to him or are you just gonna stare at his ass all day," Matt whispered. Shiro nearly choked on his water as he turned around in his chair to face the brunette with a look of utter disbelief. "Okay, first off, I wasn't staring at his ass."

"Mhm, sure, of course. He just happens to have the most luxurious belt on to keep those pants up. The pants that you so desperately want to pull off."

"I was staring at his-- There was a-- I-I was just," Shiro sighed, finding no valid excuse. Instead, he opted for nodding his head weakly as he hung it low in embarrassment. "Alright, fine, I was staring at his ass," he admitted. " _BUT_ , you better keep your mouth shut about it. If he knew I was checking him out, I'd probably die. The sheer thought of him finding out anything about my feelings towards him would be enough to convince me I should launch myself into the nearest void."

Matt snorted and waved Shiro's concerns off, going back to writing down the answers to his homework. He didn't need to look up to know that Shiro was back to giving Adam 'The Eyes' as he and Keith had called them. "You're an adult, Shiro. You can be a normal human being and go start a conversation with him. Who knows, maybe he'll even fall for some dumb pick-up line." The older male scoffed and went through the stack of essays he had to grade for the upcoming progress report. Just thinking about being within 5 feet of Adam gave him butterflies in his stomach. And, no, not the soft kind that fluttered around peacefully. It was a raging tornado of moths wanting to go to the oh-so-mesmerizing light source that was Adam himself, just waiting to crash and burn and die.  _Okay, so maybe I've been watching too many dramas with Matt_ , Shiro thought to himself. His mental rant was interrupted by the doors to the teacher lounge sliding open. A gray-haired man with a girl who shared Matt's looks walked in. "Sam, Katie, good to see you."

"You too, Shiro. I see you're grading essays last minute before the progress reports get handed out, as usual." The genius engineer teased him but meant no real harm in his words. He saw the overly exaggerated way Shiro slumped back in his chair, tossing his pen towards Matt and could barely hold back a smile. "For all my hard work here at the garrison, apparently grading a bunch of tweens' work is the most contribution by the standards of my academic profession."

"Woah there, buddy. I know you're surrounded by a bunch of nerds right now, but that was a lot of big words from you. Wouldn't wanna accidentally fry your brain," Matt joked. Shiro crumpled up a ball of notebook paper and threw it at him. In fact, he threw the whole pile of notebook paper at him. Sam rolled his eyes at his son's antics, but shared in the laughter of the small group. "What's with all the scraps of paper? Did Matt ask you to help him with his homework again?"

"God, no. If anything, Matt's the one who helps me."

"Shiro was making love letters but couldn't decide which one was good enough to send to Mr. Serious over there."

All the Holts, plus Shiro, shifted their gaze to across the room where Adam sat with his back facing them. He was reading a few news articles while listening to music and sipping some hot chocolate. Pidge turned back to Shiro with a questioning gaze, "You like him?"

"No, he  _loves_ him," her brother winked.

"I do not. I just really admire his ability to multitask with being a teacher and a pilot at the same time. It's not easy dealing with a bunch of kids looking up to you just because you made them play some videogame and now they're attending a government-run school for future generations of space explorers. They're all really good kids, I'm sure, but their anxiety is starting to give  _me_ anxiety!"

Sam and Pidge sat on either side of Matt and took part of Shiro's essay stack. They each started to grade them, knowing what the criteria was by now from how often the other teachers would complain about the standards as well. "Sounds to me like you could use a break," Pidge chimed in. "Maybe take that guy on a date! I had no idea that you liked Professor Weiss, but go for it. The exhaustion from working all day will probably persuade him to agree anyways." The suggestion was worth a shot, he assumed. Or at least worth considering. He'd already given Keith enough trouble by freaking out at home each time he had any form of contact with the other teacher within the day. He had been sworn to keep the 'mushy emotional love stuff' to a minimum in public, only going full 'mush' at home.  _I can't believe I need my love life monitored by a thirteen year old. It's pathetic_ , he mentally sighed. "I guess you've got a point, Katie. I'll give it a shot tomorrow."

"Why not right now?"

"Katie," Sam chided. "Give him some time to think about it. Love isn't easy."

"Damn right," Shiro muttered, earning a chuckle from Sam.

 

* * *

 

**_Present Time: Shiro's Fourth Year of Teaching_ **

After finally swallowing down his fears of making a fool of himself in front of Adam, Shiro managed to befriend the smart cutie from work. At least, that's what Matt had been teasingly calling Adam each time he caught Shiro getting distracted. It was easy for Shiro to be himself around his friend,  _close_ friend, when it was just them. Being around any of the Holts-- except for Colleen --and Keith was like asking to be made fun of. No one passed up the opportunity to do something out of the norm for the sole purpose of seeing Shiro get flustered even if Adam laughed off the weird jokes and outbursts the others had.

Today, Adam had agreed to go out for lunch since there was no school and their lunch break was extended due to an event taking place at that time. Needless to say, Shiro was absolutely  _bursting_ with joy and nervousness. He frantically ran around Matt's room with multiple items of clothing in his hands all at once. "Shiro, cool your jets! Your crazy pacing's gonna dig a hole in my floor. It isn't a date, you don't have to look like the prince of some extremely powerful bloodline. Or some really hot company CEO." Matt flopped onto his bed, tired of watching his friend walk around in circles while mumbling to himself. "What was that last bit?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"Whatever. I thought  _I_ was supposed to be the hot best friend. How am I supposed to be that when you're over there looking like a five course meal?"

From the office chair at his desk, Pidge snorted and rolled her eyes. She leaned against the chair's back, one hundred percent done with Shiro's fretting as much as Matt was. "You're calling him a five course meal when he's wearing sweatpants and a tank top? I don't see what you see."

"That tank top shows his manly ta-tas like he  _wants_ Adam to notice. It'd be hard not to. He's been doing extra upper-body workouts ever since he found out Adam is the bench pressing king at the garrison."

"Never refer to Shiro's pecs as 'manly ta-tas' again in this lifetime or so help me--"

"Can we  _please_ not talk about my chest so freely? I thought you two were gonna help me. If you're not gonna be helpful then just go outside." Shiro picked up another shirt, setting down the previous one. Both had been a dark shade of green though one had an intricate golden design on the back while the other was a plain dress shirt. He held it up in front of him while looking in the mirror. "No, no, no, this won't work." Clicking his tongue, he threw the shirt back on the bed and went to look through more options. "You're the one who wanted to use my mirror and bro-cave as your personal changing room. Also, how come you're kicking us out for being useless when you brought Keith here yet he isn't doing anything either?"

"Because," the tall, dark haired man groaned as his eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "I want his opinion too. He's at least keeping quiet, unlike you two."

"You know you love us," Matt grinned. "That, and Keith fell asleep."

Sure enough, under the pile of clothes Shiro had carelessly thrown on the floor, Keith lay asleep curled up in a ball. He was snoring softly, the darkening circles under his eyes evident against his pale skin. At the sight of his brother finally getting rest after three days of being awake, Shiro's gaze softened. "Maybe I shouldn't be making so much noise... it might wake him up." Pidge and Matt looked at each other before moving from their relaxing positions. She picked up and sorted the stray pieces of clothing that had been scattered across the room. Meanwhile, Matt carefully put his arms under Keith and carried him to the bed. Once he tucked in the smaller boy, Matt joined Pidge and began folding clothes to be put away later. "He doesn't get much sleep, huh? Poor kid... I'm glad he feels comfortable enough to nap here, or he just passed out."

"Either way, don't worry too much, Shiro. Adam was happy to go to lunch today, right? Everything will be fine."

"Thanks you two, honestly. Sorry if I've been a bit off lately. There's just so much that man does to me without even knowing that he does it. I still can't believe we've become really close friends over the course of one year." A soft smile reached his face at the thought of his friendship with Adam. One that didn't go unnoticed by the Holt siblings. In turn, they shared smiles once again, but with a different thought in mind. A mischievous grin. "Well, I've got some homework left to do. Tell me how your date goes!" Pidge giggled excitedly as she rushed out of the room and down the hall to her own room. "It isn't a-- agh, forget it."

"You leave Keefy-boy here with me, go have fun." Matt glanced at his clock before tossing a random pair of clothes at Shiro for him to change into. "I'll make sure he gets to chillax until you come back."  _He should be here any minute now_ , the brunette thought to himself. He tried his best to hide the secret. Shiro sighed in relief and started getting dressed. "Thank you, Matt. It really means a lot to me that you'd-- What's that face for? I know that face. I don't like that face."

"Hey now, don't go hating on my gorgeous face just because you don't look as young anymore."

"Excuse me? You little--"

The doorbell rang.

Matt's eyes sparkled, an evil glint to them.  _How in the hell_ , Shiro thought. "Besides, I know you would much rather stare at  _Adam's_ face. Which is exactly why I told him you'd be here."

"You did  _what_? When? How?"

"Texted him on your phone yesterday while you were outside. It was really easy. Keith told me your password. I told Adam that you were babysitting Keith and Pidge at the Holt house for a bit before your outing. He said it was cute that you're willing to deal with tweens and the like even if it's a day off. But, of course, you didn't check your messages after agreeing on a time and place because it's such a Shiro thing to avoid the conversation before you start doubting the honesty in his response."

"Sometimes I want to strangle you and sometimes I want to hug you. I really don't know which one that is right now. You're standing really close to the borderline," he chuckled. Shiro took one last glance at his outfit for the day before going down the stairs and answering the door. Just as Matt said, Adam stood there in a fitting gray polo shirt with denim jeans. He was on his phone and looked up when the door opened. "Hey Takashi," he greeted, putting his phone in his back pocket. "Ready to go? The kids have someone else to watch them now?"

"Yup! Matt just got back not too long ago, so he's taking over for me," he nodded.

"Matt's the Holt brother, right? And Keith's your brother?"

"Spot on!"

"Whew, good. I'm really bad at remembering names and faces, believe it or not. I just wanted to be sure I didn't mix them up for future reference."

"I feel you. Starting a new school year is always a pain in the ass because of all the new names and people I have to remember."

The two of them laughed at the mutual feeling, forgetting for just a moment that they weren't technically alone. Shiro quickly stepped out of the doorway and turned around. "Matt, lock the door, I don't have keys. Make sure Katie and Keith get a proper dinner and not just cereal like last time," he called, "I'm leaving now, bye!" Just as he closed the door, a muffled 'bye' made its way from upstairs. "Let's go then, shall we?"

Adam gave him a short nod, starting to walk to his car. Whispering to himself, Shiro took in a sharp breath and exhaled slowly, "You've got this. You can handle a simple lunch out, right?"


	2. Outdone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He lied, he couldn't handle this.

Most people would think that a café at the corner of an intersection would be the cutest setting for a date. It's so cheesy, so cliché, so 'romantic' to most people. Key word;  _most_ people. This supposedly calm and quiet little coffee shop and bakery was supposed to be exactly what Shiro and Adam needed to take a break from their jobs. If that were the case, then Shiro wanted an explanation as to why his heart couldn't seem to relax at all. If anything, it was picking up the pace from just sitting there in the booth with the most gorgeous man in front of him.

 _Oh_... he thought.  _That's why it's beating so fast..._

Adam was talking about how the past week has been. Nothing too stressful, nothing too boring. It was simply casual conversation between two people who just happened to be eating out at a hot-spot for a couple's first date.

 _Stop calling it that, Takashi. It's not a date_ , part of him said.  _But you want it to be_. The other part of him said. That part of him wasn't being very helpful in this situation. Or any previous situation that included his crush and being alone together. Now that was surely an entertaining sight to see, a grown man in his twenties 'crushing' on a fellow coworker. The world truly is a strange place.

"Also, just so we're on the same page, this is a date... right? Like, romantically?"

"Huh? Oh, uh-- r-run that by me again?"

"This. Right now. This is a date, right?"

Adam's question sure threw him for a loop. Had he wanted it to be something like that this entire time too? Well then, praise every deity out there because that meant Takashi Shirogane might just have a chance here. Shiro grinned happily like a child who just got the latest toy for their birthday. Nodding rapidly, he answered his friend, "Definitely! Or-- uh, sorry. That sounded a bit desperate-- Not that I'm not, I mean, am. Not that I am. Oh, but not because you aren't perfect-- wait-- b-because you are! You're perfect, very perfect, yup." It appears that his mind was no longer in control of his mouth. Before he could spill more than just compliments, Shiro let out a heavy sigh. "That was... more than I meant to say," he muttered. But rather than being turned off by the stuttered, awkward sentences, Adam seemed to be flustered. A light blush rested on his cheeks, just barely visible if you looked close enough. He smiled at Shiro and shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "Don't worry," he said. "It was cute. I don't see you look or act nervous often. And especially not in a setting like this, so... I'll enjoy it while I can." His teasing tone brought a more confident smile upon Shiro's features. "Yeah? What do I look like most of the time then?"

"Unfairly charming," Adam said with a wink.

The gesture and reply had the other in a state of shock and surprise. Adam had never openly flirted with him before, but maybe it was the fact that they're on an official date. Maybe that's what gave him the courage to step up his game. Both of them ended up laughing until tears rose to the corners of their eyes. "But seriously, you're usually looking so cool when you talk to the kids or when the officers are discussing important matters. It's like... you know what you're capable of, you're confident, but not overly so. That's really admirable and inspiring."

"To you or to the young cadets," he joked.

"To us both."

"Huh?" Shiro's eyes widened just a bit. Who would have known that Shiro was seen as such a role model to even be admired by his peers. Sure, he's broken multiple records already and frequently reaches higher limits as a pilot, but that wasn't anything he'd seen as out of the ordinary. He worked at the Galaxy Garrison, tons of people there could pilot. He was no fantastic engineer or mechanic, or an extremely high ranking officer, or even that great of a teacher. What could Adam have seen in him to decide that he was special enough to look up to? As if being able to read his mind-- which Shiro  _prayed_ he couldn't actually do because his thoughts weren't exactly meant to be shared --Adam began to ramble about all of Shiro's good qualities.

"You're just impossible to keep up with sometimes, y'know? Like, I was gonna make you my rival and get over the feeling that kept sneaking its way back into my head... but then I realized how stupid that sounded, first off. Secondly, wanting to go neck-and-neck with you made me see that I really just wanted to be  _by_ you in your success. Something not too far off from wanting to share the spotlight if it meant you and I got to be the ones sharing it, get what I mean? And you're so caring and selfless. You see things in people and make them try their best even if they don't see it in themselves right away."

"What do you mean? Of course everyone has potential, I'm just helping them realize it."

"That kid you took in, Keith, he's been in a few worrying situations. But you always vouch for him no matter what. No matter how much he says that the garrison isn't his thing or that he wasn't meant to be a pilot. You've never given up on him."

"He's... He's got talent," Shiro smiled fondly, staring down at his cup of coffee. The thought of someone else seeing him as such a largely positive impact on Keith's life, and many more, was really uplifting.

"And you got him to work on that talent," Adam finished, crossing his arms loosely as he leaned back against the cushions of the booth. "Takashi, the things you do for other people... it's... i-it's..." He was at a loss for words, to be frank. There was nothing more for him to admit other than the fact that he was very awestruck by Shiro's existence. Praise whatever higher power was watching the two disasters on their date, a subtle ringtone went off playing 'Hips Don't Lie' by Shakira on Shiro's phone. Adam immediately recognized the song and was barely able to stop himself from laughing. Shiro felt his face get warm as he took out his phone to check the caller ID.  _Matt must've been messing with it again, dammit._ It was Keith's name that had appeared across the screen. He looked to Adam for permission to answer, the other nodded.

_"Shiro, please come back. I woke up on their couch but I was super-glued to the cushions. I managed to get out... at the price of now hiding in the attic with nothing but boxers on."_

"The Spider-man ones?"

 _"Wha-- You-- I'm-- **SHIRO** ,"_ his younger brother whisper-shouted. He couldn't keep a straight face, he loved to tease Keith sometimes. Sure, it wasn't cool to super-glue a tween to your couch while they were asleep, but it sure was entertaining to not be the victim.  _"I don't know what kind of sick humor you weirdos have but my personal boundaries feel extremely violated right now. If you don't come get me in ten minutes I swear I'm gonna call Mr. Sam Holt!"_

"You can just call him Mr. Holt, you know."

_"Ten minutes!"_

And with that, Keith hung up, leaving Shiro to crumble in the booth while Adam watched him cackle like a madman. "I'm guessing that was Keith," he managed to say, still confused on the matter. It wasn't the ideal date-worthy image to be a wheezing mess because of your brother getting caught in a prank. It wasn't... yet Shiro couldn't help himself as he tried to breathe properly despite his obvious need to laugh more. Tears started building up in the corners of his eyes as he started to calm down, taking deep breaths and exhaling in bursts of giggles. "Okay, okay, I'm okay. Whew-- heh-- Okay, for real now." He sighed happily, wiping away the small amounts of tears. Adam smiled at him in a confused but endearing way, "Did he tell you a funny joke or what? You sound like you just ran two marathons."

"Matt super-glued him to their couch while he was napping at their house," he managed to say, barely keeping his composure long enough to finish the sentence.

Now it was Adam's turn to laugh.

"He did  _what_? Oh my God, is that even safe? Did he get out?"

"He did, but now he's hiding in their attic with less clothes than he fell asleep in."

"The poor boy-- Let's go get him. I never took Matthew Holt as someone so... so brilliantly evil in the most comedic way."

"Trust me, those Holts can be your greatest fears. You think they're really nice and welcoming at first-- and they are, usually --then they get you while your guard's down."

Adam rolled his eyes at the explanation, both of them grabbing their things and standing up. Shuffling out of the booth, they disposed of their trash and headed out the door down to the parking lot. While they drove back to the Holt house, Shiro rambled on and on about more silly mishaps with Matt, Keith, Katie, and himself. Once in a while their parents or other friends were involved too.

 

* * *

 

The ride back felt shorter than the ride from. It must've been the way that Shiro filled the silence with stories of all kinds of fun. Or the way Adam nearly beat a red light from being too focused on the stories. That was going to stay as a secret between him and Shiro until someone managed to get it out of either of them.

Both of them got out and made their way to the front door. The darker male rang the doorbell, causing two rapid sets of footsteps to race towards the door. As it flew open, it became clear that the culprit knew exactly what had went wrong. Matt stood there with a look that basically begged for mercy. He always pleaded with Shiro to spare him from hour long lectures and extreme 'Dad Scolding' when he messed up real bad. "I know you trusted me to babysit your little brother-- which I  _was_ doing --but the baby kinda didn't wanna be sat anymore so he's run off. I admit to gluing him down. And to drawing Mario on his forehead. And to cutting a little bit of his hair--  _but it was just a little bit_ \--so. Um. Don't kill me? Please?"

Shiro considered the thought for a moment. He deserves to live a little, Keith can cause him so much stress sometimes. A harmless prank like the Mario drawing wasn't too bad, though he couldn't say the same about the other crimes.

"Mathematics Elijah T. Holt, go to your room. You are officially grounded."

"No I'm not, you're not my father."

"Oh, but you will be when your father finds out."

Matt opened his mouth to shoot back a retort, paused, then closed it once again. His shoulders dropped, defeated. He moved aside for the two to come in while he made his way upstairs to sulk in his room. Shiro and Adam walked in, Adam closing the door, and were able to fully take in the scene in front of them. Keith's clothes were stuck to the couch with a few loose threads.  _Must've gotten stretched from him trying to escape_. Hearing a muffled snort behind him, Shiro turned around to throw Adam a questioning look. "His name," he whispered, "it spells meth."

 _Wait a minute_. Shiro looked up at the ceiling in thought as he mentally wrote out Matt's name.  ** _M_** _atthew-matics... **E** lijah...  **T** ristan...  **H** olt..._

"Holy shit, you're right! No wonder Sam can never  _not_ chuckle when he introduces Matt to people for the first time!"

"Is 'Mathematics' really his first name? No, right?"

"I'll let you be the judge of that," he grinned. Shiro then led the way upstairs to the attic where he hoped Keith was still hiding. Sure enough, they found the dark-haired tween hunched over behind some boxes clad in Spider-man boxers. "Aha! You  _are_ in the Spider-man ones!"

"Will you just give it a rest already?! I said I'd date him  _one time_ , Shiro.  _One time_!"

"Hey, don't worry, I'd gladly date Spider-man too," Adam interjected, smiling at Keith. The latter simply stopped frowning once he glanced at Adam. It felt weird to be one clothing item away from being naked in front of two Galaxy Garrison teachers. At least one of them was his brother, they'd seen each other in boxers from time to time once Keith got comfortable enough in the apartment to make it like his own home. "Uh, thanks, Mr. Adam Sir," he stuttered.

"Just 'Adam' is fine when we aren't in school."

"Alright. Can I have some clothes now?"

"Oh, right, that's why we're here," Shiro mumbled. He had honest-to-goodness forgotten why they were in a dusty attic that had cobwebs here and there with a pale boy showing off said paleness save for the red and blue underwear. Adam and Keith both deadpanned at Shiro, not amused in the slightest.

Eventually, they got some of Matt's old clothes up to Keith. The shorts were still a bit baggier and the shirt was slightly more loose than he was used to, but it was better than nothing. Adam had gotten up and walked to the door, grabbing his jacket on the way, saying he had to go home. "Thank you for letting me stay a while, guys. The sandwiches were a delightful snack. I should get going though, my dog won't feed herself."

"You have a dog?" Keith perked up at the mention of a doggo.

Adam held back a smirk. He knew the pupper powers were strong, able to reel in any poor soul who fell victim to those adorable eyes. He wasn't any better off. "Yup! Her name's Nova, a really active Jack Russell terrier. Would you like to meet her?" Keith looked up to his right where Shiro stood, "Is it okay if I met Nova? She sounds pretty cool."

"You literally only know her name and breed."

"Any dog is a cool dog if you believe hard enough, Shiro."

"Any dog is a cool dog if you believe," Adam teasingly affirmed.

Now how was he supposed to say no when they're teaming up on him like that? Giving in with a sigh, Shiro nodded and smiled a little. "Alright. You can meet Nova,  _but_ ," he paused to make sure Keith was listening, "if she doesn't like you right away just let her have some time to warm up to you. Deal?" The younger boy's eyes instantly lit up and if he had a tail, it'd be wagging enthusiastically. "Deal!"

Adam snickered and put his jacket on, opening the door. "Perfect! Let's make it a double date then. Play date for Keith and Nova, walk in the park for you and me. How's that sound?"

"Oh, um, it's-- he'd--  _I'd_ \--" Shiro struggled to get the words out, his face heating up more and more with each passing second. He cleared his throat and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, standing up from his spot next to Keith on the couch. "I-I'll walk you out."

"Aww, what a gentleman."

The blush intensified.

When the two men got out the door, closing it softly behind them, Pidge spoke up from her seat on the staircase. "How much do you want to bet they'll text nonstop tonight?"

"Thirty bucks," Keith said.

"Bold of you to assume they plan on sticking to texting," Matt snorted. "True," the other two answered. Matt huffed and leaned against the wall by the stairs, "I bet you they'll start calling each other nightly. And then it'll be weekly meets outside of work. Then daily meets, then they'll move in together, then I'll be the best man at the wedding, then they'll move to some quiet home far away from us because that's exactly the kind of party-pooping dad friends they are."

While Pidge and Matt laughed over the joke, Keith fell quiet. A small pang in his chest started growing into an ache. A fear was building up in the back of his head.  _Shiro's gonna leave me one day too... That's not true. He'd bring me with him, right? I'm... I-I'm his brother, after all._

**_You're just some kid he found._ **

_That's not true. He wanted me to stick around. He does... he has to... He wouldn't lie to me..._

_... right?_


	3. Third Degree Burns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James Griffin and Keith Kogane are both jerks. One is confused, one is misguided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this while dead-tired from the whole NYCC and s8 stuff as well as activities from school, pardon me if it gets odd. Also, it ends on kind of a cliffhanger, but i'm working on Chapter 4 right now so i'm hoping it'll be out soon. i hate making you guys wait long, so i try to do as much as i can whenever i log on.

_**Timeskip: Shiro's Fifth Year of Teaching, Adam's Fourth Year** _

Shiro was aware that he would have to balance work and taking care of Keith and he was confident in his skills. At school, it would be a professional space where Keith addressed him as 'Mr. Shirogane' and he would in turn be addressed as 'Kogane' or 'cadet' just like anyone else. At home, formalities were dropped to allow a more comfortable air in the apartment. Whenever Adam and Keith happened to run into each other at the garrison, it was just the same. In fact, Keith had gotten used to Adam dropping by unannounced or Shiro not being home every now and then when he visited Adam's house. They had slowly gotten close as well, playing games together and hanging out alone when Shiro was busy, sharing meals together like a family. To Keith, that  _was_ what they were. A family.  _His_ family. And he would do anything to defend his family.

Anything.

Which led to his current predicament.

The boy was sat down on the chairs in front of one of the staff offices. He could feel the burning glare from the boy who sat a few chairs down from him. James Griffin, whom he vaguely remembered from his middle school, had dared to run his mouth off about Keith's parents and Shiro. Maybe it was a tad too far, maybe it wasn't enough, maybe it was just right, but Keith showed no hesitation in delivering a blow straight to his face. Had Iverson not stepped in, James would be sporting more than just a bruised cheek. The school staff immediately called Shiro once they finally got the two boys apart far enough away so that they couldn't rip into each other's throats.

_**"You're only here because of Shiro."** _

_**"Keep that up and you'll be stuck as a cargo pilot."** _

**_"He's only here because you vouched for him."_ **

He remembered hearing that. He remembered the look on Shiro's face as he stepped out of the room. He remembered feeling so mad too. Mad at everyone, at James, at the teachers, at himself, at the universe. He knew he had problems, but he couldn't help it. Everything always went back to the start no matter how hard he tried. Keith expected to for his attitude to be blamed again. Expected to be thrown out into the foster system once more, to be in a new home as usual, to be at a new school too.

But he didn't expect this.

Shiro sparked a new fire in him, one of determination. "I will never give up on you," he had said. "But you can't give up on yourself." Had that been the problem all along? Was he just giving up on himself too soon? Keith looked up at Shiro, at this parental figure who made him feel like a person with problems that could be fixed. Someone who made him feel and  _realize_ that he wasn't the problem, no, it was the way he acted. It wasn't something impossible to deal with. It just took time. Keith felt strange.

He felt loved.

He felt the same love that brightened up his day when his father was still alive.

Another thing he didn't expect was how welcoming Adam was about his personality as well. Many adults would warn kids his age not to get too close because, "You never know what kind of trouble he'll drag you into". And it was true, for the most part. Keith definitely got himself into a lot of trouble. That day, on the way home, Shiro got a phone call. It was Adam, asking if they had left the office yet. "Keith and another student got into a fight. We're still in front of the office though. They want us to have a talk with the Griffins."

_"Good, don't let them get started without me. I've got a thing or two that they need to hear."_

"Adam, you can't go picking fights too."

_"I'm not picking fights. I'm stating facts. Just wait for me, I promise it'll be worth it. Also, did Keith win?"_

"What does that have to do with this? Yes, he won."

_"We're not gonna raise a wimp, Takashi. I'm glad he won. Keith, if you can hear me, I'm taking you out for dinner tonight. Your victory must be celebrated."_

Keith couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. Adam knew how much of a handful he was, but that didn't deter him in the slightest. He was just like Shiro, but different too. He accepted Keith and wanted to help him grow, but he treated him in a way Shiro didn't. Shiro wanted to make sure Keith was raised right. Adam wanted to make sure Keith got to live his life to its fullest potential. It took them both to give Keith the best childhood he could ask for. There was no reason to feel like he was alone when he knew that Adam and Shiro were both trying so hard for him. The least he could do is to try for himself and for them too.

 

* * *

 

Everyone was sitting in Commander Iverson's office now. James and his family on one side, Keith and his on the other, Iverson at his desk dead center. "Mr. and Mrs. Griffin," Iverson greeted James' parents. "Officers Shirogane and Weiss," he turned to face them now. It was James' mother to make the first move. "My boy did nothing wrong, I assure you. Everyone knows  _that_ one's got quite a reputable temper." She didn't hesitate to point at Keith as she spoke. Not even under the cold glare the tanned male was sending her. "James was probably just innocently joking around like all kids his age do. It isn't his fault that some can't take a joke." Keith's fists curled, balling up the bottom of his uniform. Before anyone else could speak, Adam quickly fired away at her. "If taunting a fellow classmate by insulting his placement at a government-run facility for  _talented_ and  _hard-working_ students is your definition of joking, madam, then I can see where the misunderstanding was. I'd like to inform you that the school has a clearly written anti-bullying policy to prevent fights like these from breaking out. I'm sure you've read about it in the student handbook that  _all_ teachers collected signatures from," he said, plainly. Mrs. Griffin stuttered on her response as her entire family seemed taken aback. Shiro and Keith remained quiet, knowing all too well that this was just the warm up.

"You should still tell that boy to watch his actions. My son could've been hurt," Mr. Griffin interjected.

"Ah, yes, very well. But only if you tell  _your_ boy to watch his mouth."

Keith was using all his power not to react to that.  _Keep going_ , he wanted to say.  _Get 'em, Adam_ , he cheered in his mind. Shiro cleared his throat, "I'm sure this can easily be resolved without need for serious punishment. We can just move on from this, right, Commander Iverson?"

"I suppose so," the commander nodded. "There will be no major consequences for either of them, but I am going to assign them both detention. Luckily, there will be other students in the room. So you should both take it as a time to socialize with the others instead of giving each other death glares from across the room. Got that?" Commander Iverson stared down the two boys sitting in front of him. One saluted, one avoided his gaze.

Before they left, Adam swore he heard Mr. Griffin whisper something to his son.

**_"Don't worry about that Kogane brat. He'll get given up to another foster home anytime now. At least you didn't need to be adopted by an officer in order to get in to this school."_ **

Had it not been for Shiro pulling him away-- he heard, but decided it'd be better not to acknowledge it --he would've given James' dad a matching bruise.

"I honestly cannot believe the absolute  _nerve_ of those people! Their son is growing up with terrible, terrible role models. Let him own up to his mistakes! Let him understand that you don't always have to be on top! Let him be a fuc--" Adam noticed Shiro's eyes dart between him and Keith, clearing his throat before continuing his rant. "A freaking," he corrected himself, "kid! Good  _Lord_ do they need some chill pills."

"It's okay, I've heard the word 'fuck' before. You don't need to censor it."

"Yeah, but you really shouldn't be hearing it. That'd make me a hypocrite for calling the Griffins bad role models when I'm over here cussing right in front of you."

Keith shrugged at that, it was true. Adam ruffled his hair up as they walked down the hall to leave campus. It had become a habit that started from him initially just wanting to mess up Keith's hair. Now it was an endearing sign of affection between them. "Don't think too much of it, Keefy. Shiro and I are always gonna have your back if anything like that comes up again. Just always keep in mind that the best way to be is  _not_ how James Griffin is," Adam joked. All three of them started laughing pretty hard, barely able to keep walking. "No, no, but in all seriousness... if he gives you a hard time again, I'm a phone call away." The teen looked up at him, giving him a small smile. "Thanks, Adam."

"No problem."

They reached the car within the next few minutes, getting in and buckling up. Keith took a nap in the backseat, probably tired from getting in a fight. Adam was tempted to nap as well in the passenger seat, but Shiro kept him up. "Did you really mean that?"

"Mean what, Takashi?"

"When you said 'we' back there. As in 'we're not gonna raise a wimp' when you and I were calling. We've only barely been dating for a year after all, you don't have to do something you don't want to."

Adam took some time to consider his words. "I know," he said softly, staring out the window. "I want to do it though. I want to help. We don't have to rush anything, obviously, but I want to be there for Keith too. I didn't go through the exact same things in my own childhood... but I sure as hell wish someone was there for me when I needed help then. I know what it's like to be seen differently because of what happened to you and not because of who you are. My parents were both deported and I was left here with a few relatives. People thought I was stupid, that I couldn't read, that I was 'dirty', in a sense. I knew being an immigrant meant that things would be a bit harder than if I was born a citizen of this country, but I never thought it'd be  _that_ bad." Despite how the story sounded, Adam found himself grinning from ear to ear. "But look at where I am now, teaching at the Galaxy Garrison as well as being a top-notch fighter-class pilot. I sure showed those assholes who's stupid now."

"I'm glad I met you," Shiro chuckled. "And I'm glad we're dating."

"I'm thankful for that too. Oh, and just imagine how things went for me when I came out as well. Middle school is the part of my life that I'm sure as hell never reliving ever. Not unless I'm dead, having my memories sorted out to be erased, or telling embarrassing stories for close friends and family only." Both of them had to laugh at that. Adam had told him once before about how his coming out went. It hadn't been in full detail since he claimed that it was saved for when 'we get to that point of our relationship' though. Shiro was willing to wait if it meant he'd get more time to spend with him, so it was a win-win situation in his eyes.

"Thank you for sticking up for Keith back there. I'm sure it means a lot to him, and it means a lot to me too. There's only so much I can do for him that won't make things worse... He sucks at expressing himself, but I'm sure he'll find a way to tell you."

"It was fun to do it. Those Griffins are putting so much pressure on their son to be the best. It's honestly a huge pain in the ass because it also means that  _I'm_ being given complaint after complaint after complaint about why their boy isn't top of the class. Or why he's still being taught the same things the others students are being taught. Like, um, hello? If I wanted to fail your son I could? They're gonna give themselves a bunch of gray hairs."

Shiro parked the car in the lot, unbuckling his seat belt and turning off the engine. Adam unstrapped himself as well, hopping out and opening Keith's door to get him out of the car. While Shiro grabbed their belongings from the trunk, Adam carried a sleeping Keith in his arms all the way up to the their apartment. Technically, it was still just Adam's, but the three spend so much time in it together that it'd be a lie to say they didn't share it. Mostly, Shiro and Keith would only stay most of the day and go back to their own apartment at night. There were a few exceptions where they would sleep over like for holidays or random weekends. It was more convenient that they shared Adam's space so that someone would always be able to watch Nova.

Speaking of which, the energetic dog barked excitedly the minute the door opened. Shiro walked in first, giving her a few quick pats on the head after taking his shoes off, moving to the side and setting down their three bags. Adam walked in second, nudging the door closed with his foot. He tried to keep Nova from jumping up and licking Keith so that the teen could sleep continuously. "Down, girl. You can say hi to him when he wakes up. Hey-- Down--"

"C'mere," Shiro cooed, "gimme all the affection that I don't get from Adam or Keith since those two only know three emotions."

"Oh? And what would those be, smartass," Adam frowned slightly, an eyebrow raised. He put Keith down on the couch and carefully draped two fluffy throw-blankets on him. One was plain black while the other had a galaxy pattern with a solar system in the middle. "Sarcastic, cold, and sleepy," Shiro answered. His reply was monotone as he stared at Adam with a dead-serious expression. The other grabbed a nearby pillow and launched it at his boyfriend, causing him to go into a fit of giggles. "You're missing one, stupid." He walked around the couch to where Shiro was sitting cross-legged on the floor with Nova in his lap. The cedar-haired officer crouched down next to him and kissed his cheek. "It's not as obvious to see, but there's definitely some love in us somewhere."

"Aww, that was so sweet."

"I hope you burn that into your memory 'cause I'm not saying it ever again."

"You wound me."

Adam stood back up, helping Shiro to his feet. A playful smile made its way onto his face as he picked Nova up and held her in his arms. "Don't worry, I'm sure Nova can give you  _all_ the love you want," he teased. Shiro rolled his eyes and jabbed two fingers into Adam's side. The action made him jump away by a few centimeters as he huffed. It was only recently that Shiro had learned Adam had a ticklish spot and he planned on using it to his advantage whenever Adam poked fun at him, which was often. "I told you to stop doing that! You know I'm very sensitive there," he groaned. Shiro merely shrugged and walked into the kitchen to get dinner ready, "I know. That's why I love doing it."

"You monster."

With his back to his boyfriend, Shiro rolled up his sleeves and stood by the sink to wash his hands. "Well, this monster is wondering what we should eat so feel free to give some suggestions."

"What do we have?"

"Didn't you buy more groceries? Shouldn't you know?"

"Oh shit, it was  _my_ turn to do the shopping?"

A moment of silence. The sound of running water stopped as Shiro turned around to look at the other. "Adam, you  _did_ buy groceries, right?"

"So, um, I might've completely forgotten to do that. It just slipped my mind, I swear. We can get some food from down the street and then we'll get groceries tomorrow. Promise."

"You better stick to that promise, unlike last time when you made me go get them on my own because 'Keith needs help with homework so I can't go, sorry'. It wasn't even a good excuse! I would know if he has homework or not,  _I'm his teacher_!"

"I know, I know, I get it. Next time I'll just have to come up with a better excuse."

"Oh yes, because God forbid you actually decide to adult and do your own grocery shopping. That'd just be a nightmare," he shot back, smirking when Adam's joking smile turned into an offended gape. "Now  _that_ is wounding. Very wounding."

" _That_ ," he paused, "is the truth."

Adam set Nova down on the floor and took out his phone. He dialed the nearby Chinese restaurant to order some take-out, sticking his tongue out at Shiro. The other stuck his out right back, mocking him. Nova skittered across the apartment and jumped up onto the couch, landing right on top of Keith. She licked at his face leading him to blindly toss an arm over her and pull her closer to him, going right back to sleep. Not one to complain about cuddles, Nova immediately curled up against him. The small dog settled down and closed her eyes, napping beside Keith.

Shiro took a seat at the dining table and waited for Adam to finish ordering. From what he heard, it was the same dishes they usually got, but there was one extra dish he hadn't heard of in a while. "You got the Keith's favorite." It wasn't exactly a question, but there was a slight hint of confusion in Shiro's voice. "How come? Aren't they getting a little pricey lately? I thought you didn't like spending too much money on food."

"Yeah. I figured, after a day like today, it'd be nice. He doesn't get to eat them often so... Besides, I think anything more than what I have in my wallet is 'too much'. Keep the budget low, don't waste the dough."

"Looks like I've got a competitor for your love, Adam. Should I interrupt your class tomorrow to serenade you and present you with the finest bouquet of only the most exotic flowers?" That earned a few chuckles from Adam. He sat down across from Shiro, leaning back in his chair as he played along. "I'd prefer if you waited until after class, thank you. Skip the flowers though. I'm not a fan of having to take care of anything that will die in the next few days."

"Shame," he sighed in mock-despair. "I was so confident in my ability to woo you with my spectacular botanical skills."

"Save it for another time, buddy. Maybe I'll learn to hate flowers less by then."

"I'm holding you to that," he beamed.

"Of course you will," Adam answered softly. They stared at each other's eyes for a moment. Each took the time to really take in the full view. It was so surreal. It felt like the perfect kind of life anyone would wish for. Someone to love you, someone important who made you feel equally as important. A sense of devotion and commitment to one another. Anyone who had working eyes could see that there was so much love between them, so much purity and innocence. Starry night skies when the sky got dark were the most beautiful thing to Adam, and he saw exactly that in Shiro's eyes. And for Shiro, the coffee-colored skin that belonged to his significant other was so smooth and felt so warm and cozy whenever they hugged. Every small detail of them both was memorized and cherished by the other. The way Adam would suddenly burst out laughing at a random memory and would sometimes need to take his glasses off once he was on the edge of crying from it.

Or how when Shiro was concentrating hard on his work and made a few tiny mistakes, he would furrow his brows for a split second before going back to a neutral expression. Adam called it the 'Shirogane Twitch'.

And the days where Adam would give off an overall  _exhausted_ vibe, keeping any form of socialization to a minimum, now those were Shiro's favorites. He loved them because it meant that Adam would pause whatever he was doing the minute Shiro entered the room in order to go up to him, hug him, and rest his head on Shiro's shoulder.

If it weren't for the doorbell going off, the two would've stared at each other for the whole evening. Or at least until Keith woke up and asked what they were doing sitting idly in the kitchen. Shiro stood from his chair and walked up to the door. He opened it, surprised to find Matt standing there with a large container in his hands. "Huh, didn't know the Chinese place did delivery now." Matt's face scrunched up in confusion. "What? No, I'm not-- They don't-- This isn't what you ordered. I found some kid waiting in front of your office today with this. No one knew you and Keith went home early today. Hey Adam," he explained, greeting the other occupant of the room who wasn't currently sleeping. Adam waved from the table. Shiro stepped to the side to let Matt in. He tilted his head, "A kid? Did they say what they needed?"

"Well, I asked him what he was doing and he said that it was a thank you present for Keith."

"For Keith?" Both Adam and Shiro had shock written all over their faces. They exchanged unsure glances before looking back at Matt. "What did Keith do," Adam asked.

"The boy said that Keith stuck up for him the other day. Apparently some other cadets were picking on him because he didn't do as well on the simulator. And the fact that he's one of the shortest kids in his year. Keith heard them harassing him during break so he told them to go away and leave the boy alone. Oh, his last name's McClain."

"Lance McClain," Shiro hummed. "I know him. He's the last person I'd expect Keith to stick up for, he always complains about Lance. Then again, his 'whining' sounds like anything but whining, if you know what I mean." All three of them shared a knowing look, gathering at the table once again. "Did you know Keith thinks his name is Taylor?"

"Wait, seriously? No way, Shiro. The kid's always calling himself 'Lancey-Lance'. You're joking."

"I really wish I could say my brother isn't this stupid, but he honestly believes Lance's name is Taylor."

"Oh my God. That's probably because of the whole 'They call me The Tailor' thing Lance started. Did you tell him the truth yet?"

Shiro had a shit-eating grin on his face as he explained his intentions. "I don't want to tell Keith just yet. It's been like... a few months since I first found out that Lance and Taylor are the same person. That means since at least the beginning of the school year, Keith's been having a rivalry with the boy he  _thinks_ is named Taylor. I wanna see how long this lasts."

"You are a genius! This is gonna be great, my money's on five years."

Adam snorted and slid the container closer to him so he could look inside. "You don't actually think it'll take that long for Keith to figure it out, do you?"

"I mean, he still thinks Mothman is real. It's been a few years."

"Can't deny that," Shiro sighed heavily, getting up to get the dishes out. He had originally thought it'd be funny to tell Keith about Mothman, but now Keith's set a life-long mission of finding said myth. "It looks like there's food in here," Adam said. "We're gonna have good food for tonight and tomorrow. Lance gave a  _lot_ of food."

"Wanna stay over and eat with us?" Shiro offered Matt a plate. "That'd be great, thanks!"

"No problem." Shiro grabbed his keys and wallet, going to the doorway to put his shoes on. "I'll be back in a few minutes, I'm gonna go down and grab the take-out."

Adam and Matt nodded, turning to face each other when Shiro closed the door and left. "While he's gone, wanna hear the dumbest thing he did yesterday?" Matt perked up at the suggestion, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Of course I do! Is that even a question?"

"Alright, so..."


	4. Taylor the Tailor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance runs into a feisty cadet who was in some of his classes in the previous years. He can't help but rant to his best friend all about 'the mullet-head with an attitude'. Hunk just wants some peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, posting a super long chapter?? wot??? what kind of alternate reality is this, my dudes??
> 
> but anyways, yeah, it's long cuz i felt bad that y'all had to wait for a while. i'm finally done with activities and major events for now which means there'll be more updates with less wait times in between! :D

_**Present Time: Keith, Lance and Hunk's Fourth Year (Shiro's Fifth Year)** _

Another day at the garrison, another day of drills. Simulations were fun up until Commander Iverson forced you to do them over and over and over and over and so on. Initially, Lance had been so proud of himself for managing to get into the garrison all on his own. His family was ecstatic about it, maybe even more than he was if it were possible. The first day he stepped foot onto school grounds, he made a promise. Multiple promises, actually. One to himself, one to his family, and one to every friend he'd make in the future.  _I can be great_ , he told himself.  _No, I **will** be great. For everyone at home to support me and my dreams, I need to show them that it wasn't a waste. I can do this. No one's gonna bully me much longer._

He strode past the doors and into the large building where all the cadets were to meet up.  _No one's gonna bully **The Tailor**._ He stood in the middle of the room, only a couple of other students present with him.  _I'm gonna show them all just who they're messing with._ A proud, confident smile made its way onto his face as he stared at the multiple screens the teachers would be watching them from.

Hunk came in a few minutes after, trying to tie his bandana right for the fourth time that morning. Little frustrated grunts escaped him as he neared Lance. Eventually, he finally got the bandana to stay around his head without slipping. "Hey, buddy! Struggling with the headband, huh?" Lance beamed at his friend in greeting. "I'm still not used to having to tie it myself," Hunk laughed shyly. "My mom usually does it for me, but ever since the garrison's made us wake up earlier than the average student does, I've been getting ready on my own. I don't wanna wake up my mom before the sun's even up just so she can tie this stupid thing for me."

"Don't worry, Hunk. You'll get it sooner or later. At least you're not tying any hair into the knot too, that'd hurt so bad."

"Oh gosh-- You've got a point there. My mom and aunts sometimes tie their hair into it by accident and they get so annoyed by that."

"Mm," Lance hummed, nodding his head slightly. "Hey, d'you hear that Officer Shirogane's gonna be watching us today? I heard he's beaten, like,  _all_ the records out there. He's even set some new ones! He's super duper cool and I feel so honored just to be observed by him. Like,  _the_ Officer Takashi Shirogane is watching us.  _Us_! A bunch of kids!" His eyes sparkled with admiration as he rambled about his hero. Hunk was used to this, having been friends with Lance for a while now. "I was a bit bummed out that he couldn't come to  _our_ school to talk about the garrison and stuff, but that's okay now. Are you excited? I bet you're excited. Oh my gosh,  _I'm_ definitely excited! I don't care what anyone says, Officer Shirogane is the best pilot out there!"

A new voice joined in the mix, a deep one. It came in the form of a chuckle from someone passing by. That 'someone' was Adam, walking through the large room to find Shiro himself. He brought lunch for Shiro and Keith but couldn't find either of them. "He sure is, kid. No doubt about it."

"You know him? I mean-- Duh, of course you know him, you're both officers-- but you  _know_ him?" Lance turned to face Adam. Hunk tried to subtly scoot behind Lance and hide in his shadow. Adam didn't look menacingly evil, Hunk was just timid. The officer gave the boy a nod, "We're close. I'm actually looking for him right now. He's supposed to be here in a few minutes, right?"

"Yes Sir."

"Alright. Do me a favor?" Adam looked down at Lance, taking out the brown paper bag with the name 'Takashi' written out at the top. He held out the bag to Lance. "Mind handing this over to your hero when you see him?"

It'd be a lie to say Lance didn't jump at the chance to get to talk with Shiro. Even if it was just a small thing to anyone else, personally giving your idol his lunch was a big deal for Lance. A  _big_ deal. He gasped softly and nodded so fast Adam thought his head would come off. "Yeah-- I mean, yes Sir! I can do that for you! You can count on The Tailor," he saluted, earning another chuckle from Adam. Lance extended his arms, treating the bagged lunch as if it was a delicate glass sculpture as Adam placed it in his hands. "Tell him it's from Adam. Thanks, kid. What's your name?"

"Oh, uh, my name is Lance McClain."

 _Ah, so **this** is the McClain boy that little Keefy talks about_ , Adam thought to himself, mentally smirking. He ruffled Lance's hair and looked over the boy's shoulder to get a peek at Hunk. It wasn't too hard though. Lance  _was_ still significantly smaller than Hunk even if they've grown since their first year at the Galaxy Garrison. "And your name is?"

"Hunk..." he answered hesitantly. "Hunk Garrett..."

"Nice to meet you both," Officer Weiss grinned. He suddenly got an idea and looked through his bag. "Oh, and one more favor, if you don't mind."

"Not at all Sir," Lance said.

"Perfect!" Adam fished out Keith's lunch, holding it out to the two in front of him. "I'm 99.7 percent sure that a kid named Keith Kogane is in your class. Can you give this to him too?" Lance had to suppress the groan that started to bubble in his throat at the name of his rival. Though, it was really more of Lance taunting him and messing with him throughout the day rather than a two-way competition with mutual bitterness towards the other. Instead, he kept his smile up and took the bag from Adam. "I'll give it to him the minute he walks in!" His facade was pretty impressive, but Adam saw right through it. He knew things about the polar opposites that Shiro didn't know. Things even someone as nosy as Matt didn't know. He could tell just from observing the two that the 'rivalry' went deeper than the two kids understood.

Maybe one day, if things went the way he hoped, he'd tell Keith and Lance how he knew what he knew. Maybe if things went well, he'd get so see them figure it out for themselves. For now, though. he'd have to wait.

"Thanks again, cadet."

Adam waved a short goodbye to them, making his way across the room and out through the doors he entered from. By some seemingly random coincidence, Shiro walked in through the main doors just as Adam disappeared from view. Before the other kids could distract Shiro, Lance broke into a brisk walk and stopped in front of him. "Uh, g-good morning Mr.-- O-Officer Shirogane sir! I, um, th-this is for you. From Adam. Or, uh, I don't know what you call him, but he told me to say it was from Adam so I'm just assuming that you call him Adam-- not that I'd ever assume anything about you, but-- um--" Lance felt his cheeks heat up-- no, his entire  _face_ heat up at how badly he fumbled his words. If English wasn't his first language before, it sure as hell wasn't gonna be his second language either. Not with how bad he stuttered just then. He shook off the nerves, which barely worked, and held up the bag with 'Takashi' written on it. Shiro's eyebrows scrunched up just slightly in confusion, but he took the bagged lunch anyways. "Thank you. I don't believe we've had a chance to talk one-on-one, what's your name?"

"Lance McClain, Sir! But most people call me The Tailor because of how I thread the needle." Lance gave him his signature million-dollar smile with finger guns. At that, Shiro laughed a bit, amused by this kid's style. "I love that! Did you come up with it yourself or did people start saying that about you?"  _Oh my God, I made **the** Takashi Shirogane laugh! I feel so proud of myself!_ The small Cuban couldn't stop his smile from getting wider. He let his hands fall to his sides, shrugging, "Little bit of both. It actually came from my hometown in Cuba because of how I was the best at making clothes for the shop my family owned. Then, when we moved here and I started piloting, people heard of my nickname and thought that it was because I was good at flying. It's not too much, right?"

"Not at all, it's pretty spot on. You're a talented kid, y'know? I was impressed by how easily you got used to the simulators during your first few weeks at the garrison."

"Really?! Oh my gosh, that means so much to me! Thank you!"

"I'm just saying the truth, cadet. Keep at it. You've got a bright future ahead of you so really work hard for what you want to accomplish. Patience yields focus." Shiro patted Lance on the back with a grin on his face that radiated 'Proud Dad' energy. He put the lunch in his bag and made his way to the other teachers who were prepping for the drills today.

Hunk came up behind Lance, poking the other's arm. "Dude, you actually held a conversation with your childhood hero without being a flop! I'm so happy for you!" Instantly, Lance's confident stance from earlier deflated into an embarrassed slouch. "Are you kidding me? I totally forgot how to function back there! Like, if I had my Tio Rico watching, he'd say 'Lance.exe has stopped working, would you like to try again?' and make fun of me! I love him and all, he's a cool tio, but I don't need to get called out for being shy."

"Okay...? So, um, maybe you flopped a bit."

Lance looked at him skeptically with his head tilted forward, eyebrows raised, mouth slightly frowning-- the whole look.

"Uhh, okay, so you flopped a lot.  _But_ , even if you did flop, it didn't look like Officer Shirogane minded. He's really nice about tons of things! He probably understood why you'd be so nervous talking with him. Officer Shirogane has a real big build and he's pretty tall compared to us cadets... intimidating... Except for his face and personality, that part's pretty open and friendly." Hunk patted his friend on the back, attempting to console him. "He isn't gonna remember you as that one kid who couldn't talk smoothly when offering him lunch, you'll be fine."

"Watch how the universe will just conveniently make that his most prominent memory of me and our first official conversation. Life loves to be like that."

"You're being dramatic."

"I'm being realistic and accepting my doomed fate."

"Again,  _dramatic_."

 

* * *

 

It came as a surprise to Keith when a familiar classmate walked right up to him and shoved something in his arms. "What's... the paper bag for...?" He looked down at the item in his hold and then back up at Lance. The other crossed his arms with a huff and looked away. "What kind of idiot leaves their lunch at home? You're lucky that someone brought it in for you." Keith scowled at the insult, "You're calling me an idiot when you can't even finish your sentences?"

"Excuse you,  _mullet-head_ , being bilingual is a pain in the neck sometimes because I forget words from either languages. And it makes it even worse when I forget what the word is in  _both_ languages so now I can't even translate it!"

He had a point there. Keith knew he did. He could speak a good amount of Japanese from growing up with Shiro and his relatives visiting every now and then. Shiro hadn't told him to learn it, he just thought it'd be cool at the time of his and Matt's anime phase. Matt may have grown out of it, but Keith was still going strong even if he wouldn't admit it. He didn't want to let Lance know he was right, though. It would only boost his ego. So, as per usual, they started arguing. "If you weren't so busy trying to pick fights with everyone, maybe you'd have time to properly learn your languages."

"I don't pick fights with everyone. Just you," Lance shot back, sticking his tongue out.

"What are you, five? Who even sticks their tongue out like a toddler anymore? Frickin grow up."

"Why, so I can look like an old man the way you do? Always frowning and glaring at everyone-- You're gonna have so many wrinkles when you get old."

"You can't prove that."

"Yes I can!"

"As if you'd stick around long enough to find out."

"Ew, who said I'd ever wanna stick around with you? I was thinking about just keeping in touch with people who knew you."

Soon enough, they were all up in each other's faces. Forehead against forehead. Lance had his arms on his waist and Keith had his crossed in front of his chest, still holding onto the bag. Luckily, it was another teacher who split them up instead of Commander Iverson. Had he been the one to break up their little quarrel, they would've been sent to run laps around the practice field. For any of those wondering, the practice field was  _not_ worth their usual banter. It was used for those learning to fly actual planes and jets. The runways were wide and stretched out far across the grounds. Running multiple laps around that area would murder your legs. On the bright side, however, surviving a workout like that would give you legs that could murder.

Speaking of the commander himself, Iverson stepped to the front of the room. All eyes were on him as he spoke. "Attention cadets, we will now begin day 3 of week 8 in your training schedule. By the end of this week, you will receive a final grade for this marking period. Enter through the doors on either side of me in a neat, single-file line and proceed to any simulator of your choosing. Today we will be running formations and drill sequences that you should all be familiar with to see just how much your memory has retained."

"Perfect," the duo muttered under their breath. Both of them had the similar thought of 'he copied me' running through their minds as they glared at one another. Hunk nudged Lance's leg with his foot, getting his friend's attention away from Keith. Meanwhile, since their eye contact had been broken, Keith turned to stare at the floor. Anything was far more interesting than hearing Commander Iverson go on and on about the plans for today.

Eventually, everyone had gotten situated in their respective simulators to begin the drills.

 

* * *

 

Adam and Shiro met up in the faculty lounge for their lunch break, shocked to see Keith sitting at one of the tables. He was eating his lunch and glanced up at the door to see who had walked in, expecting his guardians. Sure enough, they entered, an upset expression taking over his previously calm profile. "Which one of you did it," he said lowly. "Which one of you made the annoying, loud kid give me my lunch and thought that it'd be funny."

"Keith," Shiro started. Adam put a hand up, silencing him. "It was me," he said. "But I didn't do it for a joke. I couldn't find either of you and I knew he was in the same class as you, so I gave it to him. He seemed like a pretty responsible kid so I thought it'd be a good idea to leave it with him instead of someone random. Guess I was right."

"Do you even know who he is?"

"Of course I do, I've heard  _all_ about the one who threads the needle."

"So you know how awful he is, right? I can't believe you trusted  _him_ to hold onto my food."

"Relax, Keefy, everything's fine. He's not an awful person and your food isn't poisoned, see? Perfectly fine. Now stop sulking over the fact that he did something nice and it probably led to you two bickering again. I honestly don't get how that even happens, but okay." Adam sat down on Keith's left while Shiro sat on the right. "He has a point, you and Lance need to get over the petty things that cause fights between you both."

"Lance? Who's Lance? Shiro, I'm talking about Taylor," Keith said, looking at Shiro with a puzzled head tilt. From over the boy's head, Adam winked at Shiro, "Yeah, Takashi. Taylor. I don't think Keith knows a 'Lance' around here."

May whatever deity currently watching over them have mercy on Shiro's sanity and Keith's ability to put two and two together.  _I guess he'll never get to add it up to four_ , Shiro thought miserably. He sighed and went along with the charade, nodding slowly. "Right, right, my bad. Taylor. You and Taylor need to cool it now or else neither of you will be able to become fighter pilots. They have strict rules about communication and require a team that can operate well together and work productively. For that to happen, teammates can't be jumping at the chance to be at each other's throats."

Keith huffed at the lecture and crossed his arms on top of the table. "But Shiro, I'm not  _trying_ to make him mad! He always comes at me first! I know friends are used to teasing each other and whatever-- some pretty dumb way to be friends, if you ask me --but Taylor and I  _aren't_ friends. We haven't had that confirmation about our... our, uh... I don't know what to call it, but we haven't agreed to be friends! I don't know what to  _do_ , okay? I'm trying. I'm trying to be good. It's just hard when everyone else still wants to make it seem like I'm not..."

His little rant made Shiro and Adam soften up, leaning on the table as well. Shiro felt bad for trying to 'Dad Talk' him into behaving better. He knew deep down that Keith really  _was_ giving it his best shot. It'd been years since they first started living together through the Big Brother Program. In that time, they managed to pinpoint some of the reasons behind Keith's temper and personality, but not all of it. Before he could say anything else, for better or for worse, Adam pat Keith's head lightly then opened up his own lunch. "If that's the case, then how about I'll give Taylor a talk about it too. Sound good?"

A timid nod from a tired boy.

"Good. In the meantime, finish your food. I know for a fact that you skipped breakfast this morning because you procrastinated on homework all night yesterday and tried to make it up the minute you got out of bed. Don't think I didn't notice."

"Alright... I still don't get why he has to be such a jerk though. And he thinks  _I'm_ the mean one..."

"He doesn't know much about you, just like how you don't know much about him. Don't be too hard on either person, Keefy. He's probably feeling just as horrible as you are when it all comes down to the facts. Besides, high school rivalries? Psh, I hardly remember mine from when I was your age. All I know is that it was with some girl two years older than me and I'd rather not explain the reason why we even had a rivalry in the first place. But what I  _will_ tell you is that things change and people do too. At least this... mess going on between you two is keeping life from being boring, right?"

"I guess..."

"Adam," Shiro chided. "Don't call it a mess if you barely understand it. Remember what happened the last time you shared an opinion on a topic you weren't well-versed about?"

"Yeah, yeah. I remember, don't worry. How could I possibly forget about when I told Matt that quantum frequencies were just a bunch of science-y mumbo jumbo," he said with the sarcasm painfully obvious in his voice. Keith snickered as Adam bit into his sandwich, "Matt went off on a tangent just to prove to you that quantum frequencies weren't 'a complete waste of time' and it took a week for him to finally let it go."

"In my defense, I didn't think he'd get insulted."

"I'm just surprised that you listened the entire half hour that he was ranting about them."

"Eh," Adam shrugged. "Better than having to listen to Iverson."

"Ooh, if he walked in right as you said that, he'd make you work until you were sweating enough to soak through the uniform. You'd probably still look better like that than he does in general."

"Takashi, we've raised a savage child whom I am proud of."

Shiro shook his head in disappointment, eating his salad. "You two are ruthless, especially when it comes to Commander Iverson. Can't you give the guy a break? He's only doing his job."

"Yeah, well, he's being a prick about it most of the time."

"Language, Adam, there's a child present," Keith joked. Any passerby would assume he was talking about himself, but those within their friend circle knew just how many 'Shiro is six years old' jokes were made throughout the day. "Oh, my bad," the dark-skinned man wheezed. Shiro rolled his eyes yet failed to hide his growing smile. "The day I show Commander Iverson some respect when he isn't around is the day I come face-to-face with the Grim Reaper and he decides to give me another chance."

"The day  _I_ even  _think_ about showing Iverson respect is when I get lost in space. Only then will I think to myself 'man, I really should've been nicer to my teachers', Shiro."

"Well then count me out for your little anti-Iverson club. I'd like to keep my job, thank you."

"Ouch. Adam, he picked his job over our club. Are you gonna take that?"

"Hell no, he can sleep on the couch until he's made up his mind."

Both Keith and Adam were a mess of giggles and wheezes as they continued to poke fun at their commanding officer. The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted their laughing fit as they checked the doorway to see who it was. Immediately, upon seeing the person standing there, they turned back to face away from the door. Their faces had gone blank, void of emotion. Shiro simply continued eating his food like nothing ever happened. A stern, deep voice rumbled a warning to the two who had been messing around earlier. "I don't know what you find so funny that it's causing a ruckus up in here, but it better be good. Otherwise, you can keep it down and save it for later. There shouldn't even be students in the  _faculty_ lounge in the first place. This is no place for children." Having said what he needed to say, Commander Iverson marched back out into the hallway to carry on with his patrols. Adam snorted a little and leaned in close so only Keith could hear, "He says that, but yet he's allowed in here all the time."

"Oh my G--" Keith burst into a cackling tomato as he put his head down on the table and tried to calm down. Beside him, Adam was no better, needing to take off his glasses and wipe away some tears. They both felt like their faces were warm enough to cook eggs on there. Shiro crumpled up his empty paper bag and threw it at Adam. He then took the empty cardboard tray for his salad and whacked Keith's arm with it. "Seriously, you two, cool it. One day you're gonna say something in front of him that's gonna get marked in the books as the greatest turn of tables in history. I'm not exactly sure if you wanna find out whether or not that's a good thing."

"The only tables being turned are the classroom desks getting turned over when he walks in to observe. Everyone treats it like a warzone and he's some sort of tank on the battlefield waiting to shoot down anyone who pokes their head out."

"No, no, no, no, no-- The only tables being turned are when the staff flips through their times tables to see how many hours they have left before their retirement plan is secured."

"No, no, wait, the only tables being turned are--"

"I get it. You two have a lot of saltiness towards Iverson. Let it go," Shiro groaned. "Sorry, baby. I'm neither blonde, a princess, nor do I possess magical powers relating to snow and ice. I'm afraid I can't let it go." Adam pouted at him then blew him a kiss, to which Keith rolled his eyes and whispered 'disgusting' under his breath. Shiro was starting to question his sanity. Would these two drive him crazy? Probably. Would he trade either of them for anyone else out there? Never.


	5. Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro's off doing volunteer work upstate for the animal shelters who just want to find homes for all of their occupants. That leaves Adam and Keith at home for the entire week that he'll be gone. In his absence, two naturally closed-off people open up just a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that this one took a while to come out guys. i got hurt at school and needed to go get surgery done. my hand and leg are healing up better now, but it was hard to type with an injured wrist so.

_**Present Time: Shiro's Fifth Year of Teaching (the summer)** _

"You've got all your bags?"

"Check."

"Money?"

"Check."

"Food for the trip?"

"Adam, I've got everything. We don't need to run through a list of what I need five times."

"I'm just saying," he shrugged. "2am Takashi isn't exactly the most responsible Takashi. We both know that you get major headaches if you don't sleep enough, so imagine if you left behind something important. Your head would implode."

"The only important things I'm leaving behind are you and Keith."

"Wow, who knew 2am Takashi was so cheesy?" Adam kissed Shiro's cheek lightly, handing him his wallet and keys. "Go, be gay. I mean great. Well, be both, but you get the point." Shiro rolled his eyes contrary to the sleepy grin on his face. "You're the  _best_ motivational speaker out there."

"Watch it, now. One day, I'll be giving a super important  _life-changing_ pep talk to someone and it's gonna blow everyone's minds how awesome I'll carry it out."

"Whatever you say."

"Damn right, it better be," he laughed softly. With Keith still asleep-- or rather, having just gone to bed --the two had to speak in hushed voices. Shiro was disappointed but not surprised to find Keith still awake at 1:17 in the morning doing his homework. Keith never really prioritized written assignments despite living with two teachers which usually led to him doing them at the ungodly hours of the night. By the time Shiro was ready to leave, around 2:39am, Keith had already said his goodbyes and goodnight. The young adolescent dragged himself to his bedroom and closed the door up until a little crack of an opening was left. A habit he hadn't grown out of after being placed in the foster system. "I really wish he'd tell me why he keeps his door open." Shiro frowned, biting the inside of his cheek, "It's been years and he still won't explain. I don't want someone breaking in, seeing his door's open, and going into his room."

"Trust me, babe. Whoever decides to waltz into Keith's room under the impression that he'll be easy to take out is definitely mistaken. I'd bet my entire savings account that Keith could apprehend some random burglar even if he was half awake. Kid's got the instincts of a wildcat in the savanna."

"Still..."

Shaking off his worries, he gathered the last of his belongings and took them to the car.

 

* * *

 

It was now the first morning of the seven whole days that Keith and Adam would spend together without Shiro. It was also the first time either of them had gone without Shiro for so long. Normally, he would only be off on volunteer work for the weekend which amounted to two days at most. But this was going to be a full week alone together. Luckily, Shiro had given them three simple rules that  _should_ be easy to follow.

Keith woke up at around 7am on a Saturday morning, going into the living room to find Adam asleep on the couch. He strolled over to the other male and put a hand on his bicep, gently shaking him. "Adam? Why didn't you go to sleep in yours and Shiro's room? I thought you said sleeping on the couch was uncomfortable...?"

"Wha," Adam muttered, sitting up partially as his vision was blurry from the lack of glasses. Finding them on the table beside the couch, he put them on and faced Keith who was now much clearer to see. "Oh, uh, no reason. I just thought it felt kinda empty in there, y'know? I got so used to having Takashi in the bed too-- uh, I mean, it gets colder fast. Y'know, less body heat and all that." He sat up fully and stretched. "Don't worry about me though. I saw him off at an unholy hour. No one should be awake at that time unless they're pulling an all-nighter or working a night shift. No wonder I'm feeling out of it, must be tired as hell."

Despite his efforts to brush off the longing feeling within him, Adam's lie was easily seen through. Keith hugged himself and gazed at the carpeted floor beneath them. "You miss him, don't you," he mumbled. Adam considered it for a moment.  _Yeah_ , he thought,  _I do miss Takashi. Pathetic, it's only been about few hours since he left_. "Okay, you caught me, I miss him."

"Even though it's only been less than half a day since we said goodbye?"

"That's what love will do to 'ya, kiddo. Take notes," he joked, standing up and ruffling Keith's hair. He made his way into the kitchen to get breakfast ready before their stomachs started rumbling. "Anyways, it's gonna be you and me until he comes back, 80's. I think we'll be just fine, but Takashi thinks otherwise. He's taped a list of rules to the fridge door and I didn't bother to read them yet since he was probably being overly dramatic when he wrote them down. Just don't complain about them to me, Red, 'cause I've got no say in it."

"You really like giving me a million nicknames, huh?"

"Nicknames are a form of endearment. And since I don't really openly say 'I love you' as a sign of affection, I choose more low-key options instead."

"But a lot of people use nicknames to pick on other kids," Keith huffed, still not really understanding how society works even though he's been alive for fifteen years now. "I highly doubt calling someone a degrading nickname is affectionate."

"And that's where the line is drawn, buddy. You see," Adam began. He cracked some eggs onto a hot frying pan as he spoke. Keith sat on a stool next to him, listening with undivided attention. "Nice nicknames like how you call Takashi 'Shiro' or how I call you 'Keefy' are positive. Then there's the nicknames that are used in a teasing manner like when I call you '80's' because of your mull--" Keith shot him a tired look "--okay  _fine_ , it isn't a mullet. But I won't stop calling you '80's' just so you know. I'm sure someone out there has a good enough fashion sense to agree with me that you really could use a different haircut." Keith's annoyed expression broke out into a grin as he snorted, laughing at Adam's exasperated sigh at the end. "For someone who's trying to tell me the difference between teasing, being nice, and being a jerk, you sure act like the third option." The older male merely shrugged and moved on to cooking bacon once the eggs were done. He made sure to make them crispy, the way Keith liked it. "Whatever, but you get the point. As long as you aren't making up nicknames to hurt someone's feelings, it's all in good nature I suppose. Got any other questions?" He heard Keith hum, as if honestly in thought. Then, a response came. "Why do you love Shiro?"

_Huh, didn't see that one coming._

"Not to sound like I fantasize or prioritize physical features over other characteristics of a person, but have you  _seen_ that ass?"

"I don't check my own brother out."

"Okay, fair enough. He's got killer biceps too. Whew, could crush a can with those guns if he flexed hard enough."

Keith rolled his eyes with a smile on his face, earning a laugh from Adam. He then shook his head as his eyebrows furrowed, shooting Adam a dead-serious look. "Funny, but not what I meant.  _Why_ do you love Shiro?" Putting the crispy bacon strips on a separate plate, the tanned one looked to Keith with confusion obvious on his face. "Uh...? Personality and how he acts around you and other people...?" At that, Keith sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "No! Not like-- ugh, not like that. I mean, it's good that you like him for that, but-- Ugh. I  _meant_ , like, isn't it so much easier to just look out for yourself? Why go through the trouble of caring for someone else? And for--" he paused. Keith seemed to slouch and cross his arms in front of his chest like usual. "And care for their brother who gets into so many messes," he mumbled. Adam was aware that Keith always struggled to let people in. There was a fear inside him, even if he wouldn't admit it. No matter how much Shiro wanted to help Keith, Adam had urged him to let the boy figure it out on his own.  _"He won't learn if you won't give him the chance. If you want him to understand how to feel and explain those feelings, you need to let him try it on his own first,"_ he had said many times before. Those facts were all true, but it didn't mean either of them felt happy to just sit back and watch while Keith was having a hard time. "That's what love will do to you," he repeated from before. "Loving someone doesn't always have to be something scary, Keith. Neither does letting someone love you. I know that no one really...  _showed_ you what it's like. Ever since you were put in the foster system, I mean. When you love someone, it means that you should be okay with being vulnerable in front of them. Because you trust them with the parts of you that no one really gets to see. It also means that you should be willing to be there for that someone the same way they're there for you. To be loved by someone feels great, to have someone to love feels great too. Are you following?"

"Yeah, I think so. But I still don't get why you're so chill with me being part of your life when you love Shiro."

"It's  _because_ I love Takashi, you dense walnut. I love him and everything that comes with it. That means you too. I like having you around, Keith. So maybe you get into complicated situations a lot. Big deal! So what if you fight with other kids? I don't recall you ever  _starting_ the fights. Sure, maybe you could fight a little less, but have I ever not been there to support you?"

"No," Keith answered, feeling warm inside.

"See? I don't take care of you and look out for you just because you're Takashi's brother either. You've really started to grow on me, Keefy. You have been, for as long as I've known you. We might've met through your brother, but we're similar enough to get along splendidly! You aren't a problem."

The last part of Adam's mini-speech was what threw Keith for a loop. Nobody ever said that to him before. Not even Shiro. "I'm--... I'm not a... You don't think I'm a problem?" Keith looked up at him with hopeful eyes that were wide with shock. Despite getting close with Adam over the course of his relationship with Shiro, Keith still never believed he could let someone in and expect them to stay. Everyone always got tired of him and how he acted. "Of course you're not a problem. Trust me, Red, if you were a problem I wouldn't stick around. I've lived through enough experiences to know better than stay where there's trouble." Keith could believe that, at least. Adam was truly never one to waste time and effort for something that wasn't worth it. And here he was, helping Keith--  _bonding_ with Keith. It felt like a part of the emptiness inside him was suddenly filled.

Maybe it was okay to let Adam in after all. Maybe Shiro didn't have to be the only one who Keith could lean on. Maybe...

Maybe it was okay to love and be loved.

It was okay to feel vulnerable, to be open, to be part of something great.

Keith was glad Shiro and Adam met. So glad to the point where his mouth was working faster than his brain when he suddenly blurted out, "Please marry my brother."

"I'm pretty sure that's a decision for me to make, Keefy, but I'll let you know if the answer's yes. Just make sure that when I'm starting to plan a proposal that Takashi doesn't find out," he teased.

"Deal!"

"Mhm, now eat your food before it gets cold." Adam slid Keith his plate along with a glass of iced tea. There was a plate of toast as well. Keith hadn't noticed it, too busy thinking through what his second guardian had said. Adam must've gotten it ready while he was in deep thought. "Hey, so, since you got to interrogate me I think it's even if I asked you at least one question."

"Shoot," Keith said through a mouthful of toast and bacon. The other wasn't even bothered by Keith's habit of talking with his mouth full. In fact, he'd gotten so used to it that he would translated the muffled speech for when Shiro failed to understand. Adam leaned against the counter and propped his arm up on it. He rested his cheek against his palm as he lazily brought a piece of bacon to his mouth. "How come you sleep with your door open? It's not weird to me or anything, just curious."

Keith's rapid eating came to a slow stop, chewing what was left in his mouth before taking a sip of his iced tea. "Do you... promise not to tell Shiro? I don't know why, but I feel like I can only tell you about it and no one else. Not for now." Adam's eyebrows climbed up his face just slightly, but he nodded. "I promise." The raven-haired teen took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Okay, I'll tell you."

A moment of silence as he gathered the confidence to explain.

"When I was still being moved from house to house after my dad died, people would always talk when they thought I wasn't listening. They would say things like how I was 'too young to be fatherless' or how my dad shouldn't have gone back into the fire. I hated that... and... it made me hate them too. So I started to never close my doors and windows fully in case they still had stuff to say behind my back. I never slept much in the first place, so it was easy to stay up and wait for them to finish their hushed conversations."

"That's why you never trusted anyone," Adam said softly, realization hitting him. "You didn't think you could trust people after so many of them purposely waited until you weren't around to start talking about you."

"Yeah, I guess..."

Standing up straight and putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, Adam beamed at him with a welcoming and warm air about him. "Here's what well do, Keefy. You and I are gonna make this week the best damn week ever. School's gonna start soon which means we'll  _all_ be busy with work, so we should spend some quality family time together while we've got a lot to spare. Sound good?" Keith smiled a little at Adam, "Sounds good."

"Perfect! Starting tonight, we're gonna have one hell of a time."

Yeah, Keith was definitely glad Shiro and Adam met.


	6. Three Nights Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Adam's bonding moments from Saturday night to Monday night.

_**Saturday Night** _

"No, we're not making s'mores."

"But why? I've never made s'mores before and you said we're gonna camp out tonight."

"Because s'mores are so  _basic_ and I don't  _do_ 'basic', okay? Adam Weiss doesn't stick to the usual protocol society places on different aspects of life."

"Okay, weirdo," Keith snickered. "Then what do you suggest we do?" Adam proudly showed Keith the knife collection he had along with a few blocks of wood beside the case of knives. "These are only a few of my lovely, lovely knives-- but I still want you to handle them with care. They're special and were very hard to obtain. I wasn't part of some stupid local boy-scout troop or whatever--"

"Good job insulting boy-scouts worldwide."

"--but I  _was_ taught how to carve like a pro."

Keith pouted, "Adam, we can't eat carvings. What about snacks?"

"We'll get to that when your hungry, jeez. Anyways, as I was saying, I think you'll like carving. Or the knives. Whichever one seems more appealing to you. I've got tons of wood pieces of different variation so feel free to go nuts once I teach you the basics. If you're good at it or if you like doing it, I'll teach you everything I know."

"I wanna say this is gonna be lame and that I revoke the proposal I offered to you in Shiro's place, but you're usually right and these knives look pretty cool. Plus, Shiro never lets me hold onto a knife or anything expensive, and you're letting me do both. Hitting two birds with one stone right there."

"More like breaking two rules with one object, but okay."

Adam handed Keith a reasonably average carving knife and a small block of wood. "If you cut your finger off, that's okay, it happens. Just don't tell Takashi. If you don't, great! Everything works out for us." Keith stared up at Adam with amusement flickering in his eyes, "How am I supposed to hide a missing finger from Shiro?" The other merely waved off the question and grabbed his own knife and wood block. He sat Keith down on the couch and sat on the coffee table in front of him. "We'll worry about missing fingers when it happens. As long as you don't get any blood on the furniture, he can't be  _that_ mad."

"I'm really questioning your ability to be my legal guardian despite that being your role for like... a few years now."

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Question me. The only one who gets to question me is myself because only my own opinion is worth my consideration."

"That sounded really self-centered or something."

"I was being mostly sarcastic.  _ANYWAYS_ , let's get to carving! Hold the knife at the handle, I'm sure your walnut-sized brain has enough capacity to record that piece of information. Yes?" Keith rolled his eyes and Adam continued. "Make sure you hold the wood in a way that gives you enough room to slide the knife across the surface of it without cutting yourself. Because we don't exactly have the best medical insurance, not that you needed to know that, I highly recommend that you highlight that. Put an asterisk next to it. Underline it. Mark it in any way you-- why are you raising your hand?" Keith gave no answer. He simply kept his hand up, his mouth in a thin line with his eyebrows slightly furrowed with a puzzled look on his face. Adam sighed and gestured to him with the wooden block. "You may speak, Keith." The younger male dropped his hand to his lap and messed with the knife a little bit. "You're taking forever to explain to me how to carve. I know I'm not the most careful person, but damn."

"First of all, language. Takashi probably set up hidden microphones somewhere to see if I'm letting you slide with the no cussing rule. Second of all, I'm sorry. I didn't get to have my usual evening coffee because Takashi isn't around to bring me some from the shop down the block after his routinely jog. I get really rude when I don't have my evening coffee, it fuels my kindness towards others."

"You can be kind?"

"Wow, looks like  _you_ need evening coffee more than I do," he rolled his eyes. Keith stabbed the wooden block in his hand and set it down on the couch, leaving it be. He got up, grabbed the objects from Adam's hands, and did the exact same thing. "Let's go get your coffee then 'ya big baby. So that you'll stop whining and being moody and I can have the fun side of Adam back."

"Sounds good to me."

 

* * *

 

  _ **Sunday Night**_

Keith tip-toed around the house and stumbled through the darkness, attempting to find his stuffed hippo. He tried to keep from making too much noise. Adam got scary if you woke him up for pointless reasons.

The hippo was all he managed to hold onto ever since he lost his dad. A feeling of home and safety from the stuffed animal helped him sleep when it was hard to. It wasn't uncommon for Keith to get nightmares of how his father was trapped in the burning house, fate sealed as tight as the door was when it all came crashing down. He remembered how it felt that night. His father was rushing around the house and happened to wake Keith from all the noise. Since he was up, his dad decided to just bring him along. It wasn't like he could leave him home alone anyways. Keith had run up to the messy pile of wood, glass, and furniture. He went as close as he dared, as close as he could get before the other firemen grabbed a hold of him. The small boy reached an arm out to the flames as he yelled for the one person he had left. Inside his head-- inside his  _heart_ \--he fought two sides of himself. One side begging for him to be alive, to come out with the remaining people and be called a hero. For him to come out alive at all. The other side was losing hope and shutting down on itself.

A memory he wished he could forget, but never dared to. It reminded him not to be a hero, because heroes don't come back.

As it turns out, sneaking around was much harder than Keith thought it would be. His clouded mind made him lose focus and trip over one of the dining table's legs. Hitting the floor with a thud, Keith hissed through his teeth and curled up into a ball. Clutching his knee, he stayed down until the pain started to fade. The lights came on and a figure stood over him, hands on their hips and expression showing clear annoyance. "Just tell me why you were trying to ninja your way around the apartment at three in the morning and I'll be less mad about being woken up from a peaceful sleep."

"Sorry Adam..." he sighed, sitting up and crossing his legs. "I was... looking for the stuffed hippo that I usually have in my room."

"It's not in there?"

"No..."

"What do you need it for? If you don't have anything to hug, just use a pillow or bunch up a blanket."

Keith avoided his gaze by looking down at his socked feet. In a soft whisper, he answered, "It's not the same. They aren't--... They don't... mean the same... to me..." Growing up without any toys in his childhood, Adam never quite understood what it meant to have emotional attachment to a stuffed animal. The idea of becoming so fond of an inanimate object was perplexing to him. But, looking at Keith now, he started to realize that maybe not everything had to follow logic. Maybe emotions could be let in too. Giving in, Adam huffed and ran a hand through his messy bed-head hair. "I'm guessing Takashi accidentally packed it up too, then, if it isn't in the apartment. Can you sleep without it?" Keith gave a weak shake of his head. "Then it looks like we're pulling an all-nighter."

"Wait, what?" Keith's head shot up at the comment.

"You heard me, I know you've got functioning ears. We're staying up all night. I'm in the mood for a challenge. First one to pass out loses and buys the winner breakfast. Got a problem with that, Red?"

The teen, now riled up to beat Adam, eagerly nodded. All worries and panic went right out the window. "You're not even gonna make fun of me for sleeping with a stuffed animal still?" Adam scoffed and started to make his way back to the balcony where they had set out a pile of blankets and pillows for stargazing and 'camping out'. "I hardly understand what it means to love a toy so much that you depend on it for comfort. I know I'm an asshole, but I'm not mean enough to tease you for something that really isn't even that big of a deal."

 _Shiro, **please** marry this one_ , Keith thought, smiling at Adam whose back was now facing him. He sat down on the blanket pile and brought out his phone, taking a picture of the night sky. Keith shuffled over to where he had been sleeping earlier. He could get used to this, the unspoken ways Adam showed he cared. And he was glad that Adam wasn't the kind of person to always say 'I love you' or just be verbally affectionate in general. It wasn't easy for him to talk about his feelings, so he'd rather stick to knowing he was loved.

 

* * *

 

**_Monday Night_ **

Keith watched the stars flicker and blink through the telescope set up on the walls of the balcony. Every now and then, he would glance down at his book of constellations and checked off whichever ones he found. From his side, Adam laid down on his back and took in the view without a telescope. "Hey, Keefy," he turned his head to look at the boy who scribbled down check-marks like it was a race against himself. "Yeah?"

"Who do you wanna be when you grow up?"

"Uh, I'm in the Galaxy Garrison, Adam. Obviously it'll be something space-related--"

"No, like,  _who_ do you wanna become. Not  _what_. Like, as in, tell me the kind of person you'd like to be in the future."

Now that was a question Keith didn't ask himself too often, if at all. It was something he never really thought about. Sure, he'd imagine the dream he constantly had about being one of the top dog fliers out there with Shiro and Adam. He'd imagine what it'd be like to see the kids who used to pick on him be bowing at his feet thanks to karma. He'd imagine maybe one day going far beyond the stars in their galaxy and being known for something great instead of the rumors being spread about him at school. Keith backed away from the telescope just an inch, tilted his head to the side. "I want to be someone that isn't taken as a joke. I want to be important too. Wherever Shiro goes, tons of people always say 'Hey there's the really cool pilot from the Galaxy Garrison'. That kind of..."

"Respect?"

"Yeah, I guess. That kind of respect is what I want to have in the future."

Adam burst into laughter and Keith felt his eyebrow twitch. He let out and irritated growl, "I tell you my answer with honesty and you  _laugh_ at me?" Adam's snickers slowly died down. "I just didn't expect that answer from you. Most of the time, you seem so uninterested in the world around you, like you couldn't care less. But I'm glad that you have an idea of what you want to do with your life. That's good, really good. Don't lose sight of that."

"Why do you care? Not in a rude way-- just... why  _do_ you care? Shiro loves me just as much as you do, I'm sure, but even he's never put so much thought into anything I do. Anything I've done or will do. Could do, I should say."

There was a quiet sigh that escaped him as he considered Keith's question.  _Because I don't want you to do what I did_ , he contemplated. Instead, he offered, "Don't want you doing anything stupid, that's all. Do you know how many idiots I've encountered in my life who think they're worth talking about? Honestly, it's such a pain. Whatever you do, just don't get caught doing it if it's against the rules. Be it the law, our rules here at home, someone else's rules in their home-- just don't get caught. Be smart."

"What about being honest? What if I'm smuggling illegal documents to some sort of underground, secret organization that operates against the government," Keith teased.

"Then may the odds be in your favor 'cause it'd take a whole lot of effort to bail you out of prison if you got found. Being honest and being smart are two fantastic qualities to have  _if_ you use them in the right sense."

"Who taught you all this stuff anyways? You're always going off and lecturing me when Shiro isn't around, but I personally find yours much more worth paying attention to. Don't tell Shiro I said that."

"Don't worry, I agree. Keep your mouth shut about that too." They started laughing as quietly as they could as to not wake their neighbors. "As for who taught me all this? If life had a name, I'd tell you what it was. I guess for now you could say I was self-taught. Now finish up with your connect-the-dots astronomy edition so that we can sleep."

"Stop calling it that. You work at a government facility run specifically for space exploration and the like, call constellations by their proper name."

"I'll do whatever the hell I want to. Goodnight," he replied stubbornly. Keith was getting harder and harder to mess with now that he's growing up, and Adam didn't want his most entertaining part of his life to end so fast. If he could go back to younger, more gullible Keith, he'd have a blast. Not that Keith was even that gullible in the first place...

"Goodnight," Keith whispered, putting away the telescope and his books along with his markers. He moved a few pillows around, but soon settled into his own blanket pile. Once his breathing had evened out and deepened, Adam dared a glance in his direction. Sure enough, he was met with a sleeping Keith who was drooling a little.  _Who can blame him? We haven't slept in nearly 30 hours_. "Take care of yourself Keith," he mumbled. "We're trying our best to take care of you too." He took off his glasses and set them aside, getting comfortable in his own blankets as well. Letting sleep take over, Adam let out a last minute yawn before hitting the lights.


	7. Tuesday to Thursday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next three days and the events that take place at the garrison in that time.

_**Tuesday** _

Having a substitute for Shiro's class went about as well as most people would assume it went. There wasn't chaos, but there wasn't any productivity either. The substitute couldn't find Shiro's lesson plans and couldn't come up with anything to busy the students with for an entire hour. So, as long as they at least  _looked_ like they were working, the sub basically left the students to themselves and sat at the front to read a book.

"Man, this is a great day! We barely have any work to do and we're being released early today," Lance sighed happily, leaning back in his chair as he talked with Hunk. From the row in front of them, Keith tuned in an out of their conversation. He didn't mean to be eavesdropping, but he found himself smiling softly at the dumb jokes Lance cracked now and then. But if you asked him, he would never admit it.  ~~Matt~~ ~~'s already tried it.~~ "Oh, oh! Hunk! My brother taught me this really funny one yesterday."

"Alright, shoot."

Lance cleared his throat for dramatic effect before saying his joke. " _Como se dice 'un zapato' en ingles?_ "

"A shoe."

"Bless you."

"Oh, thanks-- OH I GET IT!"

Keith had walked in on enough of Lance's rants to himself to pick up on some Spanish. He assumed most of them were cusses or what not, but he wasn't about to ask the boy if it was true. Hearing the two laughing, Keith ducked his head to hide his own laughter.  _Maybe I'll tell that one to Adam and Shiro later. It's kinda funny._ Just as their giggles were beginning to fade, Lance brought up another joke, "What has 'T' on each side and has tea on the inside?" Hunk contemplated the question for a minute or two. Lance could barely contain himself as his best friend though through the riddle. Keith tried to come up with a solution as well, turning around and accidentally invading their conversation with his answer. "A teapot?" While Hunk seemed amazed, Lance seemed annoyed.

" _Oh_ , I get it now! Because you meant 'T' as in the dri--"

" _Ding dong, you're wrong_ ," Lance spat, glaring at Keith. The latter raised a brow at his childish accusation. "And how exactly am I wrong? Hunk gets the joke. The answer makes sense."

"Okay, so maybe you're not wrong. But I refuse to admit that you'd ever be right about anything."

"What? Why?"

"Because we're rivals!"

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

"And who are you?"

Lance gasped loudly, obviously insulted. "They call me  _The Tailor_ because of how I thread the needle. How dare you forget my name, you-- you--," he struggled to find the right words and settled for the first thing that came to his mind, "you deflated balloon!" Hunk's eyes widened in shock. Keith's narrowed in irritation. "A deflated balloon."

"Yes, a deflated balloon."

"You're just mad that you didn't get to say the punchline."

"I'll punch  _your_ line if you don't butt out," Lance whispered harshly, making sure the substitute didn't hear his threat. Keith challenged him immediately, "Not if I punch yours first!" The two of them shot up from their chairs and faced their current situation head-on. Literally. Butting foreheads, they glared into each other's eyes, growling lowly like territorial puppies who think they're full-grown beasts. Hunk rushed to get between them and make them back down from one another. "How about no," he suggested. "I'm sure there's tons of better things we could  _all_ do instead of fight. Like, um... baking! Baking's always fun, right? Or how about drawing? Origami? Paper mache? Pottery? I heard pottery's really good for achieving a calm state of mind." Keith shrugged off the hand Hunk had put on his shoulder and puffed his chest out defiantly. "I prefer carving, thanks."

"Of course Mr. Edgelord here would like stabbing things with knives and calling it art."

"That isn't carving."

"It's really not, Lance," Hunk oh-so-helpfully added.

James came sauntering by with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He stopped by their tiny group and scoffed, smirking cockily. "Don't stress about it too much, Kogane. You know he's not exactly the brightest kid around. I dunno what they teach in Cuba, but clearly it isn't enough to fit in here." Lance's eyes seemed to grow dimmer by the second. He quickly turned to look the other way, afraid that tears would start rising if he couldn't hold it in. "You sure about that, airhead?"

 _Huh?_ Lance glanced at Keith who looked like he was trying to stare right into James' soul to rip it out.

"Run that one by me again?" Now, James tried to level the demonic eyes that belonged to the last person Lance thought would stand up for  _anyone_.

"I said," Keith paused, "are you sure about that,  _airhead_? Because that wasn't such a smart move on your end."

"What would  _you_ know? It's not like you're exactly Einstein yourself."

"I know enough to keep racist comments like that to myself instead of running my mouth like you do."

The other boy stuck his chin up and shoved past Keith, walking away from them with nothing else to say. All three of the remaining boys watched him leave. Hunk put a hand on Lance's back, "You good? He's a real jerk... That's like, what, the seventh time all week that he's come up to you to say something mean?" The tan boy slowly regained his composure and went back to being energetic and bubbly. "I'm good! But  _you_ ," he turned to Keith who was already packing up his things. "You were great! I knew you always stood up to Griffin, but I don't get why you do it even for other people. You're usually more of a... loner." Looking up from his desk, Keith shot him a half offended and half bored expression. "I don't like assholes." With that, he zipped up his backpack and left the classroom two hours before class was actually supposed to end. Lance raised an eyebrow at Hunk who merely shrugged in return. Neither knew that Keith was on his way over to the teacher's lounge to interrupt Adam's peaceful break.

 

* * *

 

**_Wednesday_ **

 

"Care to explain why there's ten thousand sticky notes posted to the door all addressed to you?"

Keith didn't bother to look up from his homework packet as he answered an irked Adam Weiss. "There's only forty-seven. I helped that Taylor kid again in class yesterday and then I got detention for ditching class and he felt bad, I guess. Didn't bother to read any of them though. Too many words."

"Oh, so you had time to count but not to read them or take them down. Spectacular. Well, guess who  _did_ have time to read them because he had to clean up the mess not even made for him? Go on. Take a  _wild_ guess, buddy."

"You?"

"Congratulations! You've won yourself nothing."

"Sounds about right."

"At least you're doing your homework," Adam sighed, dumping all the sticky notes on top of Keith as he walked by the couch. The teen brushed them off softly, trying to focus on his work. "The kid wants to invite you for dinner tomorrow night as a thank you. He said he was supposed to invite you for tonight's dinner but couldn't find enough sticky notes to write with. Seems like you've found yourself a pretty weird friend." Keith groaned and balled up some scratch paper in frustration. He chucked it at his  ~~brother-in-law~~ brother's boyfriend. "We aren't friends! I mean, not to him, or whatever. I don't get it at all. One minute, we're cool-- at least I think we are --and then out of nowhere he just snaps! He's always calling me his rival and it's super annoying-- he won't even tell me  _why_ I'm his rival! Like, if he at least let me know what we're supposed to be fighting over then I'd be less bothered by it. Or maybe I'd be more bothered. Ugh, whatever." He let his head fall down to the table, landing with a soft thump. Keith could hear Adam opening and closing multiple cabinets from behind him.  _Probably getting lunch ready._ A few seconds later, his assumptions were proven correct by the sound of the stove turning on. "Either way, you can't go to dinner tomorrow because I'm taking you and the Holt kids to the planetarium that Takashi and I went to a few weeks ago. Maybe another time."

"It's not like I wanted to."

"Whatever floats your boat."

Adam sliced some chicken into cubes and scrambled a few eggs. He brought out some flour as well, setting it aside for later. "Tell me again how you ended up coming home early? I heard it was because of a fire or something like that."

"Yeah," Keith snickered, pausing in his work to hop onto the couch. "It was the middle of fourth period when out of nowhere the fire alarm went off. They said that someone set it off on purpose and then lit some dried grass on fire outside as a way to cover up. Kinda funny when you think about how dangerous that could've been. We're out in the desert.  _Everything_ _'s_ dry, which means there's tons of things that could catch fire easily."

"You and I have very similar humor and I am very, very proud. I was running some test flights with the new pilots in my squadron while the whole fiasco went down. I'm sad I missed it."

Keith look at Adam who had the dumbest grin on his face. It was the kind of smile he made when he was about to say something extremely stupid. "Hey, Keith." And so it began. "Yeah?"

"I guess you could say the fire drill was pretty...--,"  _w_ _ait for it_ , Keith thought, "-- _l_ _it_."  _There it is_.

Shaking his head in mild disappointment, Keith moved from the couch to join Adam in the kitchen. "I think you've been hanging around Matt too much. You're starting to make jokes like his. We only need one Matt Holt around here, thanks." He hopped onto the nearest chair and leaned back as far as he could without falling. He knew it was one of Adam's pet peeves, leaning back in chairs, which is exactly why he did it any time they were in the same room together. The older male would pretend it didn't bother him (he didn't want Keith to win the unspoken challenge) but Keith could see the way the vein on his neck would become just a tad more visible. It was like his sign of being irked.  _I wonder if Shiro's figured that part of him out. Maybe I'm the first one?_

 

* * *

 

 

**_Thursday_ **

Keith wondered if he should tell  ~~Lance~~ Taylor that he can't make it to dinner. Weighing his options, he decided that he'll tell Lance first thing in class. Looks like his Shiro-side won this time.

Yup, Shiro-side. Most people would have a good conscience and a bad conscience. Nope. Not Keith. He has a Shiro-side and a Mattam-side, due to the fact that Adam and Matt both can be little devils more often than not.

He walked into the classroom and scanned the room for any familiar faces. There was a new substitute today, a few classmates absent, a small group of friends chatting in the far corner opposite of the door, and-- aha! The boy he was looking for sat right smack dab ( ~~Matt put your damn arms down, you're not funny~~ ) in the middle of all the desks. Keith walked briskly to his desk which happened to be right next to the Cuban's. After he put his stuff down, Keith turned to the boy and poked his arm to get his attention. Lance lifted his head from where it was lying atop his crossed arms and tilted it a few centimeters to the side. "Good morning," he greeted with a dazzling smile.  _Did-- Did his teeth just sparkle...? How the hell...?_ The black-haired teen shook off his thoughts and leaned down a little so that his-- friend? acquaintance? --....  _buddy_ could hear him better over the other conversations in the room. "I can't go to your house for that dinner you were talking about. Um... sorry? I think?"

"You  _think_?" Lance looked at him with disbelief.

"Err-- not in a rude way, I uh-- I meant, like, you didn't  _have_ to invite me over or anything like that. James is an asshole. So. I don't mind being one back to him. Uh, yeah, that's-- that's what I... meant..."

"Well, my Mamá worked hard to make sure she raised at least one good child out of her pack of brats. And I'm hoping that child was me. So, um... how about I buy you lunch, yeah?"

"I guess... But how are we gonna get there? Neither of us can drive just yet."

Lance's face fell into a small frown. He forgot about that. "We won't make it in time if we walk. Got any ideas?"

 _Well... I **have** one, I'm just not sure it's  **legal**..._ Keith weighed his options again, wondering what his Shiro and Mattam sides would do in a situation like this. He even tried to picture Shiro standing on one side of his desk and a hybrid figure of Matt and Adam combined on the other side. Shiro would probably reschedule or find another way that Lance could repay him. Mattam would probably say 'screw it' and do what he was planning to do. Why is it that his Mattam-side was sounding so persuasive right now?

Clearing his throat, Keith hesitantly met Lance's gaze.  _Those eyes look pretty cool..._ "I, uh, if you're cool with it, I can take my friend's bike. We can ride on that. It's pretty fast."

"A bike," Lance deadpanned.

"Yeah. Got a problem with it?"

"Okay, okay, damn. I was just trying to figure out what kind of weirdo steals his friend's bike for half an hour."

"I didn't  _steal_ it. I've never stolen anything in my life!" He paused, thinking back on his younger years. "Okay so I stole  _one_ thing in my life."

"That still counts!"

" _It was just a car, ohmygod_."

"Wha-- You stole a-- The fu-- 'It was just a car,' he says. ' _Just_ a car,' what the hell?"

Keith put his hand up in between them to stop Lance's blabbering. He moved his other hand to massage his temple. This boy was quite the headache it seems. "I was mad at this lady because of some stuff that isn't really relevant to you. I don't even know why I'm telling you this, but if it gets you to shut up then fine. I--," he ignored the offended squawk of protest Lance gave, "--hopped into a garrison officer's car and booked it out of there." He looked at Lance to see what kind of reaction he'd give. The tanned jokester was hunched over his desk with his arms wrapped around himself. He was clutching his middle, laughter shaking his entire body. A new kind of feeling blossomed in Keith's chest, like an epiphany for his heart.

He liked being the reason that something good happened. When people laughed at him, it normally made a hot, fiery anger run through his veins. But this was different. This was...

It felt... nice, in a way.

Lance finally gathered his bearings enough to let out a slow breath and wipe away the tears that had built up in the corners of his eyes. "Dude, that's the best thing I've heard in my entire time going to school here!" A shy smile made its way onto Keith's face. He watched Lance peek over his shoulder at the clock in the back of the room before facing him once more. "Alrighty, that was a pretty cool story. We've got, like, ten minutes before class starts because you and I are apparently getting to school way too early than your average student. My turn to tell a story."

_Do people always exchange stories like this? Do they always laugh like he did? Does he laugh like this with everyone?_

The last thought caught him by surprise. Keith was confused as to why something like that would pierce through all of the questions in his head. However, he couldn't contemplate on it for long. Lance sat on the edge of his chair, scooting closer to Keith, facing him completely. Keith mirrored the action by turning in his chair, trying not to bump their knees together in the close proximity. He ended up keeping his legs close to each other in between Lance's who decided to move his own legs apart to keep their postures comfortable. "Have you ever been arrested?"

Keith choked on his spit, "What kind of question is  _that_?"

Lance shot him a don't-lie-to-me look, making him duck his head a little. "Maybe, maybe not..." he muttered.

"Cool! 'Cause I was, with my fellow gang members."

"No way."

"Yes way."

"Liar."

"I'm not! Don't believe me?"

"Obviously not."

Lance smirked and pulled down the zipper of his uniform enough to expose his collarbone. Off to the side, a small tattoo of what looked like shark jaws could be seen. It was hard to miss the way the dark ink complimented the tan skin. "Believe me now?" Oh how badly Keith wanted to wipe that smug ass grin off his face. But, then again, he was pulling off the tattoo really well.  _It's pretty hot_ \-- Keith stopped that thought immediately. Now was  _not_ the time. Instead, he scoffed and crossed his arms. "Yeah, so? What's your gang called then?"

" _Tiburón_."

"I don't speak Spanish."

"Yet you knew it was Spanish."

 _Fuck, he's got me there._ Keith gave up trying to play dumb and nodded. "I know a  _little_ bit of Spanish. Very little. I can't believe you're in a gang that's literally just called 'Shark'. It's matching, with the tattoo, but still."

Biting his lip to try and hide the giggles building up in his throat, Lance nodded weakly and fixed his uniform. He didn't notice that he was holding in his breath as well, accidentally letting out a few quiet snickers. It was then that Keith realized. He glared at Lance who must've sensed his act was seen through because he broke out wheezing. "Y-You should've seen your f-face! Pfft-- I-It was like, I dunno, b-but it was funny as hell! You  _actually_ believed I was in a gang called ' _Shark_ ' of all things."

" _Hijo de puta_ ," Keith huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"My Mamá is a precious woman!"

"Alright, then you're just shitty all on your own."

"Love you too, Mullet," Lance rolled his eyes.

"It's not a mullet!"

Class was going to be hard to focus on at this rate. The two of them wouldn't stop talking to each other, even after being moved to opposite sides of the classroom. Even after being sent out into the hall. They only stopped talking when Hunk dropped by their counselor's office (the two of them were too rowdy in the hallway too, apparently) to pick Lance up and walk back to the dorms together. Adam came by not too long after to take Keith home, a little more than annoyed that Keith had stolen his motorcycle to take Lance into town and go to the diner that the Cuban loved. But Keith was easily forgiven when he presented the man with the to-go order he got just for him. Food is incredibly tempting to Officer Adam Weiss no matter what.


	8. He's Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friday to Saturday. Shiro comes back. Keith learns more about himself.

**_Friday_ **

"Three words." Matt stifled a laugh at the memory he was about to explain to Shiro whom he was on the phone with. He really shouldn't be laughing, but the way things happened was downright glorious in his eyes. "Keith stabbed Adam."

There was a flurry of cusses and empty threats from Shiro's end of the call. Matt let a snort or two slip out as he told Shiro how Adam got stabbed and why Keith had a knife in the first place. And according to Matt's story, it wasn't just any knife. "Oh," came Shiro's irritated voice, "so it wasn't a normal knife. No, no, of course not. It was a  _butter_ knife. Like, as in, y'know-- for  _butter_."

"Yup."

"And he stabbed Adam with it."

"Yup."

A deep sigh left Shiro as he looked to the calendar on the wall next to him. It was his last night in this crumby motel before he could go back home. "Can you tell them I'll be home in a little under 20 hours? And, also, tell them I said they're  _both_ grounded once I get back."

Matt absolutely  _lost_ it and started cackling to the point where he had to remove his glasses and wipe away the tears. His face was starting to turn pink from laughing too hard. He didn't hear Shiro make a 'tsk' sound and hang up either. Being as loud as he was at that moment, Matt grabbed the entire room's attention. Adam and Keith were sitting on a couch on one side of the waiting room while Pidge spun around in an office chair on the other side. Colleen and Sam were talking with the doctor at the desk tucked in the corner Pidge stole the chair from. Adam looked over to Matt in boredom, "What's got you so riled up?"

"Sh-Shiro said--," he wheezed, "h-he said you-- you're both g-ground-grounded! Ohoho, your asses are  _so_ dead when he ge-- wh-when--" Matt was laughing too hard to actually properly formulate sentences. He took a minute or so to calm down with slow, even breaths. Once his face went back to its usual color and he was't out of breath, he finished what he had started to say. "Your asses are so dead when he gets back. He sounded the same way he did when I got his hoverbike stuck balanced on top of a really huge rock structure in the literal middle of nowhere. So, not only was I lost, but he had to come get me  _and_ I got his only ride stuck some place up high."

"Dammit, Matt. Don't make me laugh when I'm in pain. It's not fair."

Despite his injuries, Adam couldn't stop himself from laughing at the stupid story Matt told. Keith, on the other hand, was freaking out. He waved his bandaged hands around and nearly whacked Adam right in the face. "Shiro's gonna be so mad-- he already  _is_ super mad! Oh no. He's gonna make me do wall-sits for two hours with textbooks in my lap. No, maybe he'll do worse. I didn't  _mean_ to stab Adam--"

"You held the knife long enough to get me  _seven times, Keith_."

" _You know better than to scare me when I'm half awake from a much-needed deep sleep._ "

Matt started cracking up again, doubling over the armrest of his chair. His chortles-- yes,  _chortles_ \--were muffled by the arm he stuffed his face in. It seems that remembering the moment would never fail to make him laugh like a madman. This marks the tenth time he's recalled the story and dissolved into tears and variations of weak snickers to loud snorts. Pidge piped up from where she sat, kicking off the floor with her feet to roll across the room and join the boys in their conversation. "I still don't get why you were sleeping with a butter knife. Why not a real knife?" Keith glared down at his shoes as he gave her an answer. "Shiro confiscated my real knife until he came home..."

"Guess he knew what'd happen if you kept it."

"I don't care! It's  _my_ knife!"

"Okay, okay, calm down. I was just sayin'... no need to get your panties in a knot," Pidge pouted.

"I don't even wear pan-- you know what? Forget it."

 

* * *

 

_**Saturday** _

Shiro didn't bother being quiet about his entrance, even if it was 4:38 in the morning. He at least closed the door gently as to not wake the neighbors, but other than that, there was no mercy. Slamming his baggage down onto the ground and quit literally hitting the lights-- nearly broke the damn light switch --he raised his voice above its usual volume. "Keith! Adam! Get your asses over here  _now_." A groggy 'yeah' came from his shared bedroom while Keith bolted out of his room carrying a pair of expandable batons. "What? Where's the trouble? Who broke in?"

Shiro stared flatly at him. "Where's the trouble? I'm looking right at them," he spoke, monotoned as he watched Adam trudge across the room until he stood behind Keith. Said teen lowered the batons sheepishly and avoided direct eye-contact. "Oh..."

"Mhm."

"Uh, welcome home, Shiro," he offered. It was weak, Keith knew, but it was the only idea he had to lower Shiro's rage. The tired man breathed in deeply through his nose and then exhaled just as much. "Why exactly did you end up stabbing Adam in the stomach seven times with. A.  _Butter_. Knife? And why are your arms bandaged from your hands all the way to your elbows?"

Adam stepped forward and took the brunt of Shiro's anger. "I woke him up while he was sleeping 'cause I wanted to pull a prank on him. It was my idea, so don't even think about calling up the Holts and asking if Matt or Katie had anything to do with it. His hands got scratched up from trying to fight a few stray cats, I bet him an entire month's allowance that he wouldn't win. He won, by the way." That last bit was a lie. Keith had gotten his arms stuck in a machine that Sam was making to break down different types of material from planets and other bodies out in space. Luckily, the machine wasn't anywhere near halfway done and the most damage it did was cut into the skin of his arms a bit. Thank God for Adam, because that would've been really hard to explain on top of the mess they were already in. "Do you even understand how incredibly  _stupid_ this sounds right now? I'm arguing with my boyfriend because he got sent to the hospital for injuries inflicted by my little brother who-- for your information --should've been under his watchful eyes while I was gone. And I come home during the odd hours of the night to find out that, not only are you incapable of taking care of a teenager, you were betting against him to see if he could win a fight. Cats or not, Adam, you shouldn't be betting about Keith getting in fights! Let alone betting he'd  _win_ them. He shouldn't be in them at all!" Adam winced at his words, just barely noticeable if you looked close enough. But Keith saw.

He saw the way his protector shied away from Shiro, stepping back a millimeter. He saw the way Adam's eyes clouded with frustration. And it all made him feel absolutely horrible.  _He shouldn't have to get yelled at for something I did... It was my own fault I got my arms stuck, he wasn't even there._ _If anything, Adam was the one who rushed me to the hospital and took care of me the whole time..._

"He didn't do anything wrong, Shiro," Keith blurted out, not really knowing where he was going with it. Shiro's intense stare snapped over to him in an instant. If Keith weren't so incredibly stupid sometimes, he would've backed down too. "Adam didn't do anything."

"You're right. He  _didn't_."

"No! That's--" he let out a frustrated noise. "That's not what I meant! Do you honestly think Adam wouldn't try and keep me safe? I'm sorry that I hurt him, okay? I feel really,  _really_ fucking awful about it so I don't need you to beat it down on me. Even after that, e-even after..." Keith slowed down, thinking through his words as best as he could. He hadn't even noticed how tightly he held the batons in his balled up fists. "Even after all the trouble I cause Adam, he still covers for me and takes care of me and tries  _his_ best so that I can get a chance to try  _mine_... But I always mess it up, I know I do."

"Keith, I--"

"No, let me talk."

Shiro closed his mouth, prompting him to continue. Adam looked down to his side but didn't meet Keith in the eyes. Instead, he looked down at the boy's socks which served as a distraction. He couldn't imagine how many more emotions he'd feel if he saw the way passion and determination burned in Keith's eyes at that moment. Keith continued, "Please don't let me get in the middle of you two. I mean it. You're both more than enough for each other and even someone as bad at feelings as I am could see that. I don't... I-I don't want to be the reason why there's no more 'together' for you two. This is-- It's-- You're the first family I've ever had who hasn't given up on me. I know I mess up a lot and that you two always deal with it, but--"

Adam cut him off, engulfing him in a tight hug. Damn whatever dumb chemicals were flooding his brain with enough emotions to bring him to tears. He cried silently into Keith's shoulder. "Kid," his voice was slightly muffled, "you will never  _ever_ be the reason that I leave. I've grown way too fond of you by now. Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily?" Keith felt the tears rising quickly, burying his face in Adam's shoulder as well.

Shiro looked at the sight before him. He took in all the details of the scene, trying to look at the bigger picture too. All of the negativity within him dissipated when he drew a conclusion from his thoughts. He loved them. Both of them. And they obviously cared so much for each other, it's hard to deny that they truly do see each other as family. So maybe Shiro was still concerned and agitated, but he was proud of his little family for going out of their comfort zone. Love changes people after all.

Adam went from living a solo life with only himself to worry about to worrying more about a life that's only been a part of his own for a few years now.

Keith went from being closed off and scared to opening up now and then, not as afraid of what would happen when he did.

They've built a trust and a bond. How could he be mad at that? That was all he ever wanted for them. And maybe this newly discovered finding would prove to be helpful in the future for when Shiro would ask Adam to be with them until forever ended. Giving in, Shiro moved forward and joined in on their hug. "You two are gonna give me gray hair before I'm in my forties," he muttered.

"You'd still look good, don't worry," Adam teased. His voice wavered despite his efforts to keep it even. "Welcome home, dumb shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so like, i wrote this instead of my 10-page essay/report thingy for biology. i hope y'all liked it. i'm honestly shocked that a good handful of people like this story?? i didn't expect it to get so much positive feedback tbh lol


	9. Kerberos and the Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They loved so deep, but it wasn't enough. He reached out and tried, but the other pulled back and left.

Adam walked out of the lounge, storming off and bumping into Keith on his way out. He muttered a "sorry", pushing his way through both his feelings and the crowded hallway. Keith looked between him and the open door to the lounge where he knew Shiro and Adam had been talking. In a rush, he ran into the room and skidded to an abrupt stop behind Shiro. "What's going on?"

"Keith-- You're here early--" Shiro turned around in his chair, shock evident on his face. He quickly tried to cover it with a stern expression. "Did your classes end early?" The teen shot back a defiant frown. "I got kicked out again. What's going on?" It was more of a demand than a question, but Shiro left it unanswered. He merely stood, grabbing his bag, and walked past Keith. "Come on, we're going home."

Unsure, Keith walked briskly by Shiro's side until they got to his car. The silence between them was heavier than anything Keith's ever experienced before. Something was wrong and Shiro wasn't going to tell him anytime soon. Keeping his eyes trained on the blur of buildings and scenery on the way to the old apartment, Keith tried to block out the feeling of worry. Familiar structures caused his suspicion to grow. "You're not taking us to the apartment are you?"

No response.

"Shiro." He turned in his seat to stare skeptically at the other. "Why aren't we going to the apartment?" Once more, nothing came from the officer as he drove down the nearly empty road. Shiro gripped onto the wheel so hard as if it were the only thing keeping him sane. Tears pricked at his eyes which didn't go unnoticed by Keith. Clearing his throat, he finally gave in and answered Keith's questions. "I'm leaving for Kerberos with Sam and Matt. Do your homework and behave in class... make sure you eat enough to get you through the day... don't pick fights, and if you  _do_ get into them at least make sure you kick their ass. Got it?"

"What's going on, why are you crying? Shiro?"

"Adam's... not gonna be waiting for me anymore once we get launched into space. I don't want you to have to choose and I'd like it if someone could take care of you while I'm gone. I'd leave you with the Holts, but they've already done so much for us. I don't know what else to do. I'm sorry Keith. I--" Shiro felt like his throat was closing up as more tears gathered in his eyes. Some began to fall down despite his efforts to blink them away. "Please don't give up on yourself, alright?" By this point, Keith was starting to feel his thoughts get clouded with worry and doubt. "W-Wait, what do you mean he's not gonna wait for you? He has to! He loves you, right? H-He's said so! I--" He froze, watching Shiro break down in the driver's seat. The man parked on the side of the road, resting his forehead against the top of the steering wheel between where his hands were positioned. "I'm so, so sorry. I mean it, Keith. I'm sorry I messed up. I'm sorry I'm so selfish. Maybe one day, you'll see it from my eyes, but for now it's okay to hate me. I won't be mad."

"Hate you?  _Hate_ you? Why would I hate you? Shiro, this is you  _dream_ , you've always wanted to explore space. How can I be mad at you for that?"

Shiro lifted his head from the wheel and turned to face him. Tears streaked down his face rapidly. He pulled Keith in for a tight hug, holding on like it was the last thing he'd ever do. When he let go, he unbuckled both of their seat belts. "C-Come on," he choked out. "It's time to go."

"Go?" Keith spun around in his seat and looked out the window. His blood went cold and he stiffened up at the sight of the building beside them. It was the place of his nightmares. Somewhere he wished he could forget. Shiro appeared in the frame, opening the door and grabbing hold of Keith's arm. "No. No, no-- No! Shiro, no! You can't just-- You can't--" Keith struggled against his hold, thrashing around and trying to get away. Shiro was much stronger though. He brought the teen into the boys' home where Keith spent most of his childhood. "Shiro, I am  _not_ going back in there. Why did you bring me here? Let me go! Let go, Shiro! Stop-- Would you just listen-- Quit it! Let go! This isn't funny!" It was his turn to cry now, fear rising fast and flooding through his system. Betrayal, hurt, discomfort, it all came rushing back at him like the air rushing into the building as Shiro opened the door. "Keith, I'm sorry--"

"No you're not. You don't  _get_ to be sorry because I am  _not_ staying here. You said you'd be there for me! You said I had a home with you and Adam, so why am I here?"

Keith's breathing picked up its pace with each second he spent in the boys' home. He finally managed to get Shiro's hand off of his arm, growling lowly and immediately stepping back. He couldn't tell whether or not he had stopped crying. Judging by the feeling of wet droplets racing down his cheeks, he guessed he still was. "Why did you bring me here," his voice cracked from the sheer pressure of his words, "I thought you and Adam--"

"Adam isn't in the picture anymore, Keith!"

It was the first time Shiro had raised his voice in a while. Both of them were stuck in their places, staring each other down. Regret was written all over Shiro's face even as he frowned in disappointment. "Don't blame him. It was my fault..."

"Th-That doesn't mean you have to  _leave_ me here, i-it-- I-it doesn't mean you have to leave."

"I told you, I'm sorry--"

"Please, Shiro. Please don't leave," he begged. Keith hugged himself, trying to keep the broken pieces all together. "Please don't be like everyone else," he whispered. "Don't leave me too..."

Shiro slowly stepped away, shaking his head hesitantly. Keith didn't bother following him this time. Too damaged to move, letting Shiro make his escape. Watching the door close, Keith crumbled to his knees, soon becoming aware of his surroundings. He hurriedly wiped away the tears and forced himself to ease his breathing just as the sounds of a car speeding away came through the open windows.

 

* * *

 

The incessant buzzing eventually got Adam to abandon his grading and pick up the phone. It was an unknown number, much to his annoyance. He hated answering random calls.

_"Adam, are you at home?"_

"Keith? What are you doing calling from another person's phone?"

 _"Broke mine. Can you come pick me up?"_ Checking the time, Adam realized it was two hours past the usual time Keith and Shiro would've been home. "Yeah, where are you?" He took note of the way Keith's voice sounded stuffy and how he constantly sniffled. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

 _"No, no, I'm-- Well, I'm not **fine** , but--"_ he heard Keith sigh.  _"I'm at the boys' home on the other side of the park where you and I spray-painted a bunch of trees."_

"How in the hell-- Okay, I'm on my way. Stay there."

_"Thanks, Adam."_

Multiple thoughts were running through his head as he moved around the house to find his keys and wallet. His brain was running a mile a minute.  _Why was Keith at a boys' home? He'd never go there on his own. How did he break his phone?_ Adam got into his car and sped out of garrison grounds and headed towards the town. Fortunately, nobody really drove around in the town, providing a clear bath right to the home. Right to where Keith sat outside leaning against a street lamp. He was curled up with his knees to his chest, face buried in them. Adam parked the car and got out, slamming the door in a rush. He jogged over to where his supposed-to-be brother-in-law sat, "You're gonna be okay, Keith. It's fine. We'll--"

"It's not  _fine_. You know it's not. First, Shiro doesn't tell me he has this damn disease that's killing him. Second, he chooses to ditch us for a stupid  _moon_. Third, he dumps me here in this crappy hell house for screw-ups and people nobody wants! I wouldn't even be upset about him leaving if he just-- If-- If he just-- I dunno!"

Adam could feel his thoughts and emotions from earlier start to bubble up again, but he held them back for now. The tanned male sat down next to his younger companion and brought a knee up to prop his arm on top of it. "Yeah, it's a pretty jerk move, I agree. Both of us were so willing to let him be happy... but this is part of it. Letting him go. This mission is important to him."

"But what about us? How important are we?"

"I wish I could tell you that, Red. I really do. Not to dump a load of shit all on you at once, but if he knew what he was getting himself into he wouldn't have left you here. And he wouldn't have told me what he did either. He would've tried a better approach. The Takashi Shirogane we both know and love isn't like this."

Keith scooted closer to Adam who, in return, wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Why did he leave, Adam? Why does everyone always leave...?" The quiet that followed prompted Keith to continue. "H-He knows how I feel about... a-about being left behind. But he's gonna go anyways... And he knows how hard you've worked to be by his side and how much you care, so why?" Adam scoffed in response, "If only I had an answer for that. It'd be splendid, wouldn't it?" He rubbed Keith's arm soothingly. "Sometimes people get so... blinded and entranced by this dream that they have. Some goal that they really want to achieve because they think it makes them more of who they are. Like, as if you can't be Keith without eating all the ice cream in the world even though you're lactose intolerant. Bad example, but I've got nothing else."

"Do you have any dreams like that?"  _Are you gonna leave me too?_ Keith glanced up at him. His eyes that were red around the edges and had tears in the corners were searching for an answer. One that he was scared of, if his doubts were true. Though they weren't, and Adam proved that fact. "Nah. I stopped dreaming big after I realized everything expires eventually. All living things die at some point, no need to make my hopes so grand and unattainable. Yeah, it's being pretty pessimistic, but at least I've still got what makes me happy. I've got you, after all."

"... What about Shiro? Doesn't he make you happy too? Or, at least he used to?"

"I'm sure he and I can talk things out another time. Maybe when he gets back." Adam offered Keith a smile.  _I don't want to lie, but I don't know who I'm lying to. Him, or myself_ , he thought. "Don't worry, Keith. You and I are gonna make it out just fine. And even if we have to get hurt along the way, it just means we'll have cool new battle scars to show off to anyone who dares cross our paths. Sounds cool, doesn't it?"

Keith leaned against him weakly, as if Adam was his pillar of support. With the way things were turning out, he really was. "I don't wanna hurt anymore, Adam... haven't I had enough of the pain already? How much longer will bad things happen to me?" Adam looked down to the sidewalk. The cracks in the pavement were quite interesting to follow. "It's life's way of messing with you. Life's a bitch. But life's also a gift. Kind of a love-hate relationship with that, so I can't really give you an answer. All I know is that I won't let anything get to you. Not on my watch. Screw this dump, let's go home, Keith." With that, he stood and brought Keith up with him. The younger male sniffled a few mores times before clutching the sleeve of Adam's jacket. A gentle tug got Adam to pause and look back at him. "Someone's gonna take you away too, right? That's just my luck... everyone I care about leaves me behind or gets taken away..."

Adam knelt on the ground in front of him, on one knee, and wiped away the remaining tears with a careful hand. He never thought he'd see someone as strong and rebellious as Keith break down under the pressure and instability of their lifestyle. "People come and go, kiddo, but I'll make sure you can take care of yourself before I go. I'm not gonna leave you alone helpless and broken. Let's go home and fix you up so that tomorrow you can kick ass in school, deal?" He earned a barely audible 'yes' in reply. "Good. Listen, Keith, even after all this passes by... don't let this stop you from pursuing your dreams. I still believe in you. And I'm sure he still does too."

"You really think that?"

"I'd bet my life on it. Some day, you're gonna make a change-- a  _huge_ impact on the world. You just don't know it yet. The people who do great things had to overcome great challenges. This is one of yours. For both of us, actually."

They began walking back to Adam's car which was only a few feet away. Keith had let go of the other and tried to match his steps as to not lag behind. Adam opened the door for him and he got in. "You'll do awesome things, Keefy," he ruffled the teen's hair. "Awesome things that are gonna make Iverson and everyone else eat their words so fast they'll choke on 'em." Keith huffed a few chuckles out before evolving into a fit of full-on laughter. Adam leaned on the open door, laughing with him. "I can already see it now. Commander Kogane, reporting for duty. Oh what's that, Iverson? You want your job back? Sorry, sir, but we like to keep campus clean by throwing all the trash out," he said dismissively, waving a hand as if shooing an imaginary Commander Iverson away. "Adam, you're ridiculous," Keith wheezed. "I wouldn't wanna be commander anyways. Too much work."

" _Ha_! That's  _such_ a mood for me, as a teacher. Who the hell decided we should test you all with  _standardized tests_? I mean, I guess it's great if you wanna set goals and levels or whatever. With the kind of people attending school though? I think it's better to make your academic experience much more focused on you and centered around the things you excel in."

"Please don't talk 'school' to me while we're having a bonding moment. It ruins the mood."

"Please don't call them 'bonding moments', it ruins the mood," he mocked. Keith stuck his tongue out at him in fake defiance as Adam closed the door. He watched the man go around to the driver's side and open the door. Adam slid into the seat and pulled fifty dollars from his pocket, handing it to Keith. "I lost our bet from yesterday. The one about whether or not Officer Ballus would fall for the prank we set up. He saw the packets of slime before he got anywhere near the tripwire." The dark-haired boy grabbed the money and hooted in victory. "I  _told_ you he isn't as blind as he makes it seem!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don't spend it all in a day."

"Not even on--"

"Not even on knives, Keith."

"Dammit."


	10. Isolation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam looked over at Keith and saw himself. So much of himself. Yet so much of Shiro too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *rolls out the backstory for the sake of angst and fluff*
> 
> there's a lot of dialogue btw

Adam and Keith stayed out until the night sky took over the horizon. The beautiful, twinkling stars decorated a pitch black background and brought on so many feelings for both of them.

They sat at the base of a few small rock formations not too far from garrison grounds. Keith was just about to suggest heading back to the apartment when Adam spoke. "I think it's finally time I told you why I decided to stick around with Takashi. It's more than just... me loving him."

"Really?"

Keith almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. Of course, he knew that people could have other motivations for being with someone, but he truly thought Adam's was pure affection. The man in question shifted in his spot and looked out to the vast expanse of land in front of them. "We met as rivals, fell in love as friends, and... ended it as partners. When I first saw Takashi, I had this strong feeling toward him. And let me just say, it _wasn't_ admiration," he chuckled to himself. "I wanted to leave him in the dust and become the best no matter what it took. I was willing to play dirty, I admit. The person I was back then was so full of jealousy and hatred and all things bad."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. Not at all. I grew up in a poor country with no family and no friends. For the longest time, I didn't even know how to read or write. Nobody bothered to teach a street rat like me things like that. They were all too busy fending for themselves to lend a hand to a nobody. And from that... I grew up learning all the wrong kinds of habits and making all the wrong kinds of choices." Adam paused to give Keith some time to understand what he was saying. Eventually, he did. "You were all alone," Keith said. "Like, really alone. I... I at least had the foster system... And I've always been so bratty about that, complaining to no end. I'm sorry, Adam, you must've felt awful hearing me be so ungrateful--"

"It's cool, I get it. You got dealt the bad hand of cards too, Keith. I was never mad at you for being as pissed as you were." He thought about it for a few seconds. "Okay, I was mad at first. Then I realized that instead of being annoyed and hold a grudge against everyone in my past, I could help you from straying into the same loop I barely escaped from. I saw myself in you, Keith. I saw a young, broken boy who just needed a little fixing up and he'd be able to do what I couldn't. What most people couldn't. I saw a chance. Not a mistake."

The last bit had Keith being hit with waves of emotion. So many times he's heard people call him a lost cause, a helpless waste of time, a mess. Anything that they could think of. But yet here Adam was, calling him a chance. And not just any chance. Adam saw him as an opportunity for something good to come out of his struggles. Keith felt so happy and thankful that someone  _finally_ understood him enough to take the time and effort. Shiro didn't quite... get it. He gave Keith multiple chances, sure. And he took care of him, and loved him, and gave him a home, yeah. However, Adam knew. He went through it himself. Keith could trust his judgement because now he wasn't alone, he had someone there who wouldn't misinterpret him. "All the things that happened to you made you think you couldn't trust anyone, huh. Like the world was out to get you."

"Mhm. For the longest time, I swore I'd get revenge on them all by being on top. I promised myself I'd make this...  _huge_ impact on the world and get back at everything that ever made me feel negative. And it was around that time that I happened to be taken in by the Galaxy Garrison. They were looking for new recruits who had talent and skill. It didn't matter who you were or where you were from, what you've done. It mattered what you  _could_ do and who you  _could_ be. They looked ahead to the future of space exploration and scientific discoveries. Background checks were a necessity, but I didn't really have much background to begin with."

"So you and Shiro got put in the same classes?"

"Yeah, but not at the beginning. We both rose up to the ranks in our separate batches until they eventually put us in the same squadron. I walked in thinking I was some hot-shot pilot who owned the simulators and what not." Adam rolled his eyes, remembering his past self. "I thought I was the real deal. That being in that squadron, assigned under Commander Iverson himself, meant I'd be able to do anything. And then Takashi started matching my scores and stats, even  _beating_ them. He didn't even have anything against me. I was just ticked that someone was actually better than I was even though I worked so hard... so I made him my opponent. Poor guy, all he did was exist."

Keith giggled at that. "You were so gone for him later on though."

"I told you, all he had to do was exist."

The teen leaned back against the rocks and looked up at the stars. "What happened next? Tell me more." Adam followed his gaze and continued his retelling. "Eventually, he caught on to my not-so-friendly challenges and thought I was another asshole who was envious about him being first place. It was true, I won't deny that, but I had different intentions than most assholes he came across. After a few failed efforts, I tried a different approach. I became his friend in order to get close to him and break him so that I could take over. It was when we actually got along that I realized there was no way I'd let myself hurt him like that. Making that realization really knocked me down from my supposed pedestal. It made me wonder when I had gotten so greedy and hungry for the attention that I was willing to throw him under the bus for it. That I was willing to cut off the one person I actually cared about."

"So then you, what, traced back all your encounters? All the way to your earliest memory?"

"Exactly."

"Oh my-- You're ridiculous! That's a lot of work."

"Tedious, I know, but worth it. Dissecting each memory and connecting it to how I felt made it a lot easier to understand why I was a total dick. It made me a better person. Then I talked it out with Takashi himself which helped even more 'cause his opinion on me didn't change. Even when I told him I wanted to wring him like a soaked towel."

Keith snorted at the choice of words, causing Adam to smile as well. Even in the cold of night, both of them felt warm inside. Hearts beating fast and lungs working hard to make sure they didn't lose air from laughing too much.

"We went on as friends with growing crushes on each other throughout our school years and even into our working years. That's around the time that I met you and the others. I knew a lot of people still saw me in a negative light, so I didn't really hope for much from your first impressions of me. And then we actually started getting along with all the jokes and pranks-- I felt... I felt genuinely  _happy_. Enough to want more from the life I had, which is why I cried when Takashi proposed to me. I just... I just miss him now. I mean, I'm still more than royally pissed off that he left-- little piece of shit --but I miss him just as much."

Adam looked down to his side where Keith had leaned against him. The adolescent was rustling around underneath the small, red jacket draped over him. Eventually, he pulled a strand of leather from his pocket with a shocking item attached to it. "You kept the ring?" Keith met Adam's eyes that were widened in shock. He shrugged and grabbed Adam's hand to put the makeshift necklace in the open palm. "I saw it on the counter and snatched it before Shiro walked too far away. I used my dad's old leather thing from his keys to make it. Hopefully it's not too small for your big head," he teased.

"The only thing bigger than my head is your ego," Adam retorted.

Keith hummed in thought, it was a good comeback. "Nah, it's definitely still your head."

The older male chuckled and put the necklace on. He felt the cold material of the simple golden band against the skin of his exposed collarbone. It was light because it was small, but it left his chest feeling heavy. Keith nudged his ankle with a foot, "You don't have to wear it. I just thought that maybe you'd like to hold on to it for... reasons. Shiro's got nothing to worry about since, y'know, he's the one who proposed and therefore doesn't have a ring to wear--"

"I love it, Keith. Thank you."

"Well-- I mean, I didn't exactly  _buy_ anything, but--"

He was interrupted again when Adam put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you," he repeated, softer yet stronger. If the tears in his eyes were anything to go by, Keith had a feeling that he appreciated the gift. "It's you and me against the world, isn't it? Of course I'd help you keep your dream alive." Keith smiled brightly and got a hand ruffling up his hair in return. They stayed out for a few minutes longer before returning to the warm beds of their apartment.

 

* * *

 

_**A year later...** _

Without even a word, not even a written note, Keith was gone just like Shiro was. Adam opened the door to an empty cabin and found traces of more than one person being there the night before. After Keith had been expelled from the garrison, he frequently alternated between staying at this run-down shelter and the apartment. The crash from the night before was already chilling. Then to find that it was  _Shiro_ who had crashed, and to be one of the officers assigned to quarantine him? And not only that, but Keith appearing and knocking the hell out of every officer there? He suddenly felt somewhat relieved to have been taking files back to the garrison at the time.

"A flying blue lion, huh?" Though he spoke to no one in particular, Adam muttered to himself as he inspected the maps and boards posted around the room. "He was doing all this research and didn't say anything... And now he's gone too." He struggled to maintain his composure as he brought a hand up to play with the ring that had been tucked into his shirt so that no one else would see him wearing it. It was a habit he had picked up to soothe his nerves whenever they rose because of an uncertain feeling in his head.

" _Everyone_ leaves," he whispered, glaring at the threads connecting different pieces of evidence across the main map, "but I had at least hoped you'd stay... because  _I_ did..."

A lone tear trailed down his face, slowly.

"Please come back safe. Both of you," he pleaded to whoever was willing to listen. To whoever was willing to help him.


	11. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam gets discharged from the hospital following the events of his crash out on the battlefield. With perfect timing, the gang happens to arrive at the same time he gets put back under Commander Iverson's rules.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m so sorry that it’s been like 648 years since i updated!! school’s been really demanding because of exams coming up and family’s been just as demanding since it’s the holiday season. but i promise, honestly sincerely promise, that i will update the living frick out of this fic as soon as break starts XD

In all his time after the garrison reported multiple cadets as MIA, Adam never believed he'd hear of a flying blue lion again. Let alone  _see_ it. And a green one, and a yellow one, a red one, even a black one. Dr. Holt came back saying Matt was alive, Shiro too. It was all so much for him to register.

And from the colorful lions came their colorful Paladins and passengers.

Only a handful of faces yet he had a hard time finding the ones he missed more than his own happiness. Oh wait, they  _were_ his happiness. The doors to the rovers opened and out jumped Katie Holt.  _I remember her_ , he thought, looking around some more.  _Ah, looks like Lance and Hunk made it back alive and well. Good. Their families need all the good out of life that they can get now that this 'Sendak' ass face is here._ A few more glances here and there led him to one conclusion; they've brought even more aliens to Earth. In hindsight, there was already an onslaught of aliens up in the atmosphere. Why not just bring more to the actual surface?

It hit him hard and it hit him fast. Keith stepped out of the rover, looking down at his... cosmic beast that resembled a dog or a wolf. Their eyes locked and Adam swore he never ran so fast in his life. Keith was faster, with more force. He nearly knocked Adam down as they stumbled back a few steps from the impact of the hug. If anyone asked, they were  _not_ crying. Not one bit. "Quiznak, Adam, I thought I'd never see you again."

"What in the quaking fuck is a 'quiznak'," he choked out in between silent sobs. Keith was no better even as he answered. "I'll tell you later."

They pulled apart and quickly rubbed at their eyes before anyone could notice. Adam quirked an eyebrow up and looked Keith up and down. "You've grown a few inches taller, hm? Put on a bit of muscle there too it seems. I barely held myself up when you came at me. Nice battle scar there," he pointed to his own cheek to mirror Keith's mark, "really makes you look badass."

"It's been weird up in space," he snickered. "You--" his smile disappeared as his eyes settled on the large scar taking up a good chunk of Adam's face. It trailed down his jaw to his neck and probably even lower by the looks of it. "You've got a pretty noticeable mark too."

"Oh, yeah. I tend to forget about it sometimes, got used to it."

"What happened?"

"Got my fighter jet blown up by a laser beam trying to fight one of Sendak's cruisers. No big deal, really. Just kinda crashed in the middle of the desert with my seat belt strapped tightly around me keeping me locked inside the jet along with the jammed controls that were a real pain in the neck to deal with in the first place. Had to throw my helmet at the glass from an awkward angle and cut the belt off with broken shards just to crawl out in time with a broken leg before the whole thing exploded," he explained with a nonchalant air about him. Keith's jaw hung open in disbelief. He soon came back to reality and shook off the confusion, punching Adam's arm lightly. "It's just like you to be so chill with a near-death experience like that."

They talked about everything that happened in the couple of years that Keith was gone. Both covered all of it from Adam learning how to juggle to Keith finding his Galran mother. Shiro hesitantly neared them, cautiously coming up behind Keith. Adam spotted him almost immediately. The messy mop of silver hair wasn't easy to hide, after all.

"Takashi," he breathed.

Shiro looked up at him and felt his breath get taken away. All the air in the world wouldn't be enough for him to get his head to stop spinning. Seeing Adam only two steps in front of him in all his glory was... scary. It was hard to accept that, yes, he was really here. "Adam..." he said, eyes wide and feet frozen where he stood. The other acknowledged his existence, shockingly. "Shirogane."

 _Aw crap, he's still mad_ , Shiro thought. He could tell from the way Adam didn't use 'Takashi' or even 'Shiro' like most did.

"Listen, I'm--"

"No, you." Adam fired instantly. He crossed his arms and scowled at Shiro with all the fury and regret he felt over the course of their absence evident in his eyes and his frown. " _You_ listen this time. It's always everyone else having to hear what you say and having to do what you tell them to. You're a great leader, but you've been slacking as a friend and as a team member."

"Keith told you about everything, I assume."

"Is that the only thing you assume? Or did you also just 'assume' that it was alright to abandon Keith it the boys' home in town where you know for a damn  _fact_ that it's the last place he should be at. He doesn't belong there, Shirogane. He never has and never will. He belongs in a real home with a real family, and that was  _us_.  _We_ were that family. Until you decided to leave..."

Adam looked off to the side,the glare of the sun on his glasses blocking the view of his eyes from Shiro's perspective. It was hard to hold a conversation with someone when they refused to look at you.

"I can't tell you enough how sorry I was and still am about that... about leaving both of you... I thought for sure that I was gonna die soon, and I didn't even bother to tell Keith when I was one of the only two people he had left to love him and teach him. I didn't want you to have to suffer knowing that you were going to lose me soon anyways. A-And all the goals that I didn't meet yet, those... childhood fantasies that I didn't live out yet... There was so much that I thought I'd lose if I didn't act fast." Shiro lowered his head in shame. He hurt too, but he felt like his own pain was inferior to Keith's and Adam's. It was written all over his face, easy to read if you gave him a glance. "I didn't think I'd actually  _die_ out there-- but even if I did, uh, twice, I would rather have spent my last moments with you two."

His fist curled in on itself as he bit the inside of his cheek. Shiro stood there, focusing his gaze down to the ground by Adam's shoes. Keith placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. The raven-haired one turned to Adam and held out his hand. "We had more than enough time to get over the past, Adam. Maybe..." he paused and reached out to grab onto the other's wrist. "Maybe it's your turn to try?"

Adam's eyes followed Keith's hand as it led his own to meet Shiro's. Hesitantly, he curled his fingers around Shiro's palm and held on loosely. He hesitated, but lifted his gaze to stare deep into Shiro's eyes. There was a shock that went through him upon seeing the exact same star-struck look of pure love that he had seen when he and Shiro were an item. Somewhere in his chest, a warm feeling started spreading like wildfire. His heart started pounding all over again just like when they were teenagers falling in love for the first time. "There's still a lot that I'm mad about, but... You did end up saving Earth and pretty much the entire universe. So I know for sure that you aren't as selfish as I thought you were back then for leaving."

"I really am sorry about all of it. Please, give me a chance to make it up to you." Shiro put a hand on Keith's shoulder, "To both of you."

"I'd love to lay out a list of how the three of us could bond," Keith tittered, "but it looks like someone else needs my attention right now." He gestured over to where Lance was still suffocating at the center of all his family's embraces. Lance had managed to sneak his way out just partially, enough to motion for Keith to come and join them. His family eventually let go of him at the glance of his excited face as he tried to telepathically invite Keith to the family hug. Shiro chuckled tiredly, finally relieved of his 'Space Dad' duties now that everyone was too busy with their own families. "Go on, then. Wouldn't want to keep the McClains waiting, now, would we?"

Keith rolled his eyes despite the soft smile painting light shades of pink across his cheeks. He waved at Shiro and Adam then headed off to join Lance.

Adam let go of Shiro’s hands to put them in his pocket, his excuse being ‘It’s unprofessional at a time like this.’ Yes, there was a slight bite to his words, but who could blame him? He was still getting used to... all this. “That blue one,” he started, “Isn’t he...?”

”Lance ‘Tailor’ McClain? The one and only.”

”Well, it looks like he’s  _Keith’s_ one and only now. By the looks of it, they’re each other’s special someone.”

The two of them observed as Lance proudly wrapped an arm around Keith's waist as he gestured to each member of his family to introduce them. After all the names were exchanged, a slightly chubby woman with brown curls framing her wrinkled face approached Keith. Her tired eyes somehow shined brightly despite the hardship Lance's family had faced. "Keith, this is my Mamá..." he began, getting choked up and trying to keep the tears down. "Mamá, I know it's new to you, but Keith's been... there for me, in every way. He was a friend, a leader, a companion, my support. And now, he's the love of my life. I'm glad I followed him that night we disappeared." Lance stumbled back a few centimeters from Keith's playful shove, feeling the embarrassment rise from all the affection. He held out a hand for her to shake, but she declined and opted for possibly one of the warmest hugs Keith's ever had. It reminded him just how much he missed his own mother. "Thank you so much for taking care of my son and bringing him back to us. I would love nothing more than to welcome you to our family, Keith."

"Thank you for inviting me," he answered, relaxing in her embrace.

"It's not like we had a choice," Veronica teased. She patted Lance's shoulder and sent a knowing look to their siblings. "Our Lancey Lance tends to win over everyone when he shows us just how much of his heart he's poured into something. And fortunately for you, he's poured a whole lot." She smiled as Marco and Luis stepped to either side of Keith. "He picked a real good one this time, eh? Looks like he could hold himself in a fight against five of those Galra at once!"

"Yeah, man. Look at those guns!"

Lance put a hand on his chest and used his other arm to make a grand gesture towards Keith. "Isn't he just spectacular? He's taken on more than five Galra on his own during his time with the Blade of Marmora. Keith can do just about anything!"

Marco elbowed Lance's side causing his brother to wince and break form, "He's done more than you have, eh, pequeño?" The brightness in Lance's eyes faltered just slightly. "Yeah, I guess he has," he said softly. Keith smiled with multiple emotions behind it as he took Lance's hand in his. "Maybe in the beginning, I did, but I'd say the playing field's pretty level now. Voltron wouldn't be anywhere without our sharpshooter," he said. " _I_ wouldn't be anywhere without my right hand man." From Keith's side, Luis sniffled and wiped away a tear, "Mira, mira, our hermanito's gone and grown up without us!" The McClains shared a few laughs followed by more tears as they basked in the bittersweet reunion. They were finally all together again after years of thinking, hoping, praying. Years that were spent apart. Lance cleared his throat to bring everyone's attention on him, but he kept his eyes locked onto Keith's. "Mamá-- all of you, really --I would like your blessings to marry Keith. I know it's been forever and that this will take some getting used to, but--"

"Hijo." Mrs. McClain cut him off, tired eyes glazed over with tears. "Does this boy make you happy?"

"Sí, Mamá."

"And does he make you happy, Keith?" She turned to face the paladin in question. He nodded, still shocked speechless. He and Lance had spoken about getting married at some point, but they had been floating in space for a while and things were said that... they meant yet didn't mean at the same time. It was a rocky trip and he had been more than thankful that they managed to come back to a neutral zone upon reaching Earth. "Does anyone in this family object to my son's happiness?" Her wording was... interesting to Keith, but he was glad it sounded like she was on their side. Veronica was the next to speak. "If anybody wants to tell me or my Mamá why my hermanito shouldn't marry the one thing that's kept him going, keep it to yourself. I'm not in the mood to throw hands with any of you on such a memorable occasion."

Everyone rolled their eyes save for the lovely couple themselves. Veronica merely nodded sternly and turned to her brother. "Looks like it's a unanimous yes from all of us!"

The next few seconds happened so fast, Keith could barely register it all. Lance had spun to hold him close in his arms, eyes asking a silent question. Well, mostly silent, up until he actually asked, "Keith, will you marry me?" The Black Paladin snickered and gave him a 'yes' which led to the feeling of lips on his and strong arms pulling him in. It was a familiar warmth that he loved and planned to cherish for as long as he could. His new soon-to-be in-laws were whooping and cheering all around him. Lance's niece and nephew pulled at his arms once they pulled apart from the kiss only to bombard him with questions and comments all about his relationship with their Tío Lance. "Cálmate, you two. You can talk to Tío Keith all you want  _after_ they finish saving the world," Marco chided. It brought the entire family's celebration back down to a few grins here and there or maybe even a giggle from someone on the outside of the circle. They knew there was still much left, but Keith and Lance were willing to bask in this joy now and die fighting the Galra than never getting this far at all.

From the sidelines, Adam and Shiro heard and saw the entire exchange.

"He actually bought a ring, y'know. From some space mall."

"Space mall."

"Yeah, they exist. I wish I were kidding... Imagine being proposed to with an engagement ring made of the most expensive material far out past your own galaxy. He even managed to talk with Krolia privately at some point to gain her blessing too. What's funny is that right after they talked, Keith asked her as well."

"Mm," Adam hummed, amused. "He's got some nerve not asking me," he half-joked, the other half of him dead serious. Shiro chortled and glanced sideways at him. "We come back in the middle of a war and you're offended that he didn't ask for your blessing? Maybe he just didn't get the chance." The other male fixed his glasses and crossed his arms. "Well, we raised him, didn't we? I'm sure he got to ask for  _your_ blessing about it."

"Actually, no, he didn't. There's been a lot that happened between us, so I don't blame him. Besides," he looked at Adam and then back to Keith, "Were we really gonna say anything other than yes?" Officer Weiss huffed indignantly, "I would've liked to set some ground rules first. Like bringing him home  _before_ eleven at night. Or sending us postcards if they travel to a really cool place without us. Or letting me be the babysitter for their kids."

"One, they're both adults and can take care of themselves. Two, don't pester them on their vacations. Three, I thought you hated kids."

"That was before you and Keith went and made me soft. I used to be difficult, y'know."

"Oh I know," he sighed. Shiro couldn't keep up his exhausted act, dissolving into suppressed chuckles from Adam kicking the back of his leg a bit forcefully. "I'm just..." he paused. "I'm just feeling a lot of mixed emotions about you guys coming back. Don't worry, it's mostly happiness. But the sore loser in me is also upset that my supposed-to-be younger brother is getting married before I do.  _And_ he's getting a cool ass ring with it too. What kind of bullshi--" Shiro covered Adam's mouth and spoke with a teasing lilt to his voice. "Careful, Officer Weiss. There's children present." Adam shoved his hand away and rolled his eyes again, "Har, har. Be grateful that I haven't dragged you and your stupid brother across the floor."

"Love you too, Adam."

 


	12. We Made It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year or two the future, the war is won, the Paladins have come a long way. Voltron and the Atlas are no longer weapons, instead becoming supply ships travelling back and forth throughout the universe. A few surprises pop up here and there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i suck at endings hahaha, but uhhHHHH this is my attempt at giving y'all something... satisfactory? decent? idk, but i hope it's better than the bs that s8 pulled out of its ass *shrug*
> 
> ALSO, i didn't forget about this story i sWEAR-- it's just been really busy with the holidays and exams and all that

_**A Violet and Indigo Bouquet** _

Keith wanted red, Lance wanted blue. Krolia had enough of their bickering and threw purple at them. Hunk was grateful to be in charge of catering instead of decorations. For once in his life, he found the Mc-Kogane domesticity frustrating.

"It's gonna be McClain-Kogane," Lance insisted, waving around a bundle of decorative fake flowers in each hand. "It was  _my_ proposal so it should be  _my_ name first!"

"Nice try, but you aren't getting away with that when it was  _my_ lion you used to propose. Kogane-McClain is so much better."

"Uh, excuse you? You little, pardon my language, piece of shi--," Veronica cleared her throat and nodded her head towards Lance's niblings, "--mmering diamonds in all their glory because you are a beautiful, beautiful person inside and out no matter how annoyed I'm feeling right now."

Keith groaned and looked to Shiro, gesturing to his soon-to-be husband with wild arms. "Shiro, c'mon, help me out here. Kogane-McClain or McClain-Kogane? Because  _someone_ thinks that the proposal is what determines whose name goes where." Lance gasped and whacked the back of Keith's head lightly with one of the bundles. It was more so they wouldn't break rather than him not wanting to hurt Keith. Wedding decorations were expensive, alright? "That is literally how every marriage goes, Keith. The person proposing is typically the one whose last name is used! You can ask  _anyone_ on this planet right now!" A moment of silence passed as all three of them shared looks. "Okay, you can ask any  _human_ on this planet right now."

Veronica attempted to ease her younger brother's rage. "How about you guys just... keep your last names?"

"But I  _want_ his name to be part of  _my_ name!"

"THEN JUST PICK ONE!"

She shoved a few more boxes of decorations into Lance's arms and huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "Keith, why don't you want Lance's name to go first?" There was no answer, only pink-tinted cheeks and an avoidance of eye contact. Veronica glared at Lance then. "Why don't you want his name to go first?" All she received was the exact same reaction. It took her and Shiro a few seconds to process why they could possibly be blushing so hard. Once she pieced it together, Veronica scrunched her nose up in disgust. "Oh my  _God_ , you nasties! Is this seriously because neither of you top permanently and you thought you'd settle who's the official top and bottom by who's name goes first?!"

Two shy, hesitant, slow nods.

"Get out of my sight. Nope. Not dealing with  _either_ of you two until after dinner. Go, get out. Scram."

Practically dropping the boxes, Lance ran out of the room with Keith hot on his trail. They split up from everyone else at the wedding venue and went to do who knows what. Or more likely who wouldn't want to know what.

Veronica sorted through the decorations with Shiro's help while Sylvio and Nadia ran around the room. Babysitting sucked, but at least the props kept the kids busy. "My brother is gonna be your brother in a few days," she snickered. Shiro put down the decorations in his hands and grinned at her. "And mine will, hopefully, not be a headache for you and your family."

"You're calling Keith a headache? Buddy, we had to raise ourselves one entire Lance Charles Serrano-McClain for about 17 to 18 years. Keith is a blessing." Veronica waved dismissively then pointed to the open door the soon-to-be-wedded couple escaped through. "I'll deal with the two lunatics. Your sweetheart's been looking for you all day, I bet." Shiro tilted his head, confused, before looking down at his watch. "Oh cr--," Veronica struck him the same look she gave Lance, "Sorry. Uh, yeah, you're right. I'll go find Adam. You're fine in here with your niece and nephew?"

She nodded, "I'll keep them busy by helping to put up the easy stuff. Go, go, go."

Shiro hurried out the door and into the open courtyard where he promised Adam they would meet for lunch. Sure enough, there he was. Adam was waiting in the middle of a pattern made from tiny hedges circled around a small fountain. The very fountain he sat at. He looked up at the sound of pounding footsteps, meeting Shiro's eye. "Well look who finally decided to show up," he joked. "Thought I'd have to keep the hedges company all by myself."

"Well aren't you just as lovely as the Altean juniberries that Coran weaved into the braided ropes all around the venue," Shiro shot back.

"He's really got a knack for that, though."

"Yeah, he actually does, huh?"

Adam got up and slung an arm around Shiro's shoulders. "Hunk and I worked together to make your favorite. Can you guess what it is?" His eyes glimmered mischievously behind his glasses. A little wave of fear went through Shiro at the sight of his expression. "For the love of King Alfor,  _please_ don't let it be food goo again. With all the ways the team's found uses for it, I can't face food goo and not be disgusted. It was already hard in the beginning." Shiro looked utterly horrified just thinking about it.

"Unfortunately-- as much as I'd love to screw up your diet like that --no, it's not food goo."

"Thank Bob," Shiro sighed. Adam's face contorted with confusion. "Bob?"

Shiro nodded casually, "Bob."

 _What the actual fuck? Oh well_ , Adam thought.  _Must be something from space._ "Alright, well, you can thank Bob all you want after we have lunch. I'm not about to put food on hold after helping Keith's mom out all day. I'm not so sure she and I are on the same page with what 'bonding moments' are supposed to be."

They began walking out of the courtyard towards the kitchen. Coran and Allura had insisted that the Mc-Kogane wedding be held in the new Castle of Lions. A way to celebrate their love in an even more special way than holding the ceremony anywhere else. Lance, being the big romantic he is, was immediately helping them plan how to organize it within the castle. Keith, being the secret romantic he is, couldn't function properly for a while. The thought of getting married in the very place where most of their love's growth took place made him absolutely smitten with the proposed idea. Everyone really gave it their all to make the venue as magnificent as they could.

"So our lovely little half n' half boy was put in charge of flower arrangements and all that," Adam said. "You can imagine the horror in his eyes when he bolted out of the room to look for me. The first thing he told me was 'I'm ass at picking flowers and you're not. Help me.' which was really entertaining."

"Who put  _Keith_ in charge of that? Keith. The only plants he hasn't killed are succulents, Adam. Because succulents don't need that much care."

"Exactly! But y'know what? He actually made a wonderful arrangement. It took some inspiration, but he did it."

Shiro walked into the large kitchen space and saw an array of flowers spread out on the counters and tables. Each had a bundle of different shades of purple and blue with white flowers as an accent. Red glitter was sprinkled amongst their petals faintly, just enough to shimmer in the light. "They're gorgeous. They're  _actually_ gorgeous. Keith did well with these." He took a bouquet in his hands and lifted it to smell the flowers. Their fragrance was just as brilliant as their appearance. It soothed his nerves and Shiro could feel himself be at peace in that moment. "What did you tell him to 'inspire' him this much?"

Adam shrugged, picking up a bouquet as well and examining them.

"I told him to put his feelings into colors and find flowers that matched. Of course, we also had to look into their symbolism for those who are obsessed with their meanings. Still though, it worked out in the end."

The tanned male hummed thoughtfully as an idea came to his mind. Seemingly out of the blue, he turned and told Shiro, "When we get married again I want Keith to help me with the flowers. Lance can help you with the invitations and catering with Hunk."

"Is that a promise?"

"Only if you'll have it."

"Adam Weiss, I never thought you'd ask again."

 

* * *

 

**_Black Meets White_ **

"No, no, no! I said  _white_ table cloths, white! Does this look like white to you?" Matt held up the offending foggy shade of cloth and shook it around for emphasis. The poor aliens who were assisting in preparations shivered with fear. "N-No, Sir," they responded.

"Then what color does this look like to you? Hm, Thlyese?"

"It's a... gray, Sir?"

" _It's a gray!_ " Matt threw his hands in the air, frustration building up by the second. "Did the great former Black Paladin of Voltron, Champion of the Intergalactical Arm-Wrestling League ask for a gray?! No! He asked for a  _white_ _!_ Because  _white_ is the opposite of  _black_ which is the aesthetic that we have going on here! Take this nonsense away, Thlyese, please. Take a break as well. I will  _not_ have any more details missed because of fatigue and exhaustion."

The small alien ushered his fellow Glatxians out of the lobby. Pidge came in through the doorway they walked out of, curious about her brother's rage. "Matt, chill, dude. It's Shiro and Officer Weiss' big day and all-- trust me, we get it --but you don't have to scare these people off. Everyone wants this to be perfect. I mean, it's  _Shiro_ we're talking about. Nobody wants to mess this up on purpose."

Pidge pulled up two chairs and forced Matt to sit down on one. She handed him a water bottle that she brought on her way over, patting his shoulder. "We've both grown up with him being a really big part in our lives. And so many civilizations across the universe and back are grateful for what he and Voltron have done. This is a really big deal, just like when Keith and Lance got married, so everyone  _should_ theoretically be used to the stress and work load yet they're not." Matt looked at her, a weak smile on his face. He took a few long sips from the water bottle and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Promise me that when I get married to my girl, it won't be anything this frantic."

"Weddings are a big deal," she shrugged, "it's not easy no matter who you are."

Matt sighed heavily, sinking further into the chair cushions. "Where are Shiro and Adam right now? I have to ask about any concerns or comments they have about the food we'll be setting out." He craned his neck from side to side to relieve the tension in his muscles and joints. There were a couple of pops, some loud and some quiet. Pidge took the bottle from him and gulped down some of the water. "Trying to keep Hunk from ripping into Sal about the Bavlin fudge not being made to perfection."

"At least I'm not the only one having issues today."

There was a series of giggles and screams from the outside interrupting their conversation. Lance and Hunk's niblings were playing tag to keep themselves occupied. It was hard to get them to sit still long enough for anyone to get anything done. Matt eyed Pidge suspiciously, "Weren't you supposed to be on babysitting duty?"

"See, now, that's debatable. I was assigned babysitting duty without an actual time limit. That doesn't really sit well with our society's basic work rate in which I'm to be given a defined period of time to complete all my tasks in order to earn my reward. Since there was a lack of specified hours along with an undefined reward to babysitting, I left babysitting duty to Beezer."

"Beezer. Of course it's Beezer. It's not like there were multiple different options you could've chosen."

The Holt siblings continued to bicker up until it was time for fitting their clothes. When they reached the booths with curtains for privacy, they ran into none other than the Kogane-McClains (Lance won in the end) who were debating on what to wear. Lance was currently in front of the mirror, striking a pose, examining his reflection. Keith stood behind him slightly off to the side with their son in his arms, looking over Lance's outfit as well. They adopted Yorak (named in Krolia's favor) after a rescue mission with Kolivan and the rest of the Blades. Galra children grew faster than human children did, as they quickly found out. Despite being a year old, Yorak was the size of a toddler, functioning just like a young human child would. "What do you think, Keith? Light blue or dark blue?"

"I don't know... You've always looked better in, like, an in-between-blue."

"In-between-blue?"

"Yeah, like a neutral color. Not too dark and not too light."

Lance held up the different button-ups and faced his family. "Left or right?" While Keith was still contemplating, Yorak reached out to one of the shirts and began to pet the material. "I like this one Papí! I really, really like it!" Lance put the button-up in his right hand over his chest while the one in his left went back on the rack. He looked at Keith for a second opinion. His husband nodded approvingly and kissed Yorak's cheek. "Our boy knows what his Papá looks good in," he cooed.

From behind them, Pidge pretended to gag in spite of the smile on her face. She gladly accepted Yorak as Keith handed him over to her. He was officially done with carrying their son for the day. Lance can carry him for the rest of the evening if Yorak wanted to cuddle with one of his parents. It was still hard for him to find someone to play with now and then. Besides, he preferred to stay close to his dads.

The young Galran loved all of his uncles and aunts, though he loved Pidge especially. She told him tons and tons of facts that amazed him to no end.

"Glad you guys aren't having as much trouble as everyone else is today. Apparently." Matt ruffled Yorak's hair just a second longer than usual. Those fluffy ears were adorable and soft, and Matt never hesitated to feel them. Like a cat's, in his opinion, but more... 'fur' on them. Keith gave him a sympathetic-- yet not so sympathetic --pat on the back. He had a kid, after all. Today's hectic messes were nothing compared to his constant messes in the Kogane-McClain household. They all lived under one roof which had many pros and many cons.

"Yeah, we've had it easy today. Kolivan and my mom watched Yorak while Lance and I finished the chores you listed for us. He and Hunk went to get decorations and food while I got Kosmo and set up the actual stage-thing. I still don't know what to call it. Outdoor weddings are hard, with the weather and all that."

"It's what happens when you say 'fuck it' to the invite list and just let the guests come if they want. If you're some savior of the galaxy, you end up with about three hundred people in one place because the rest of the universe's inhabitants understand it'd be hell to try and fit  _everyone_ there."

"Pidge, language," Lance chided.

Yorak's ears twitched at the warning. He looked from Lance, to Pidge, then back at Lance. "Is that a bad word, Papí?" His father nodded tiredly, arms crossed over his chest. It was hard enough trying to keep their home age-appropriate for the younger ones. The man sometimes wondered why he even bothered trying. They've all heard adults cuss before at a young age. "Yup, so don't use it. Not until you know how to." Keith gave Lance a pointed look to which he responded with a nervous chuckle. "I-I mean never ever use it. Nope. Never." The former Red Paladins finished up in the fitting rooms and waited for Pidge and Matt to try on their clothes. It was one of the only peaceful moments they've gotten all day throughout preparations and finalizations.

The wedding itself was breath-taking. The vows were heartwarming and sweet, and Yorak being the ring bearer was downright adorable. Hunk, Sal, and the other helpers brought out the multitude of dishes they had made and thus, the feast began. Many memories were made and just as many photos were taken. Some of the Holts, some of the Garrison Trio, some of Keith and the newly-weds, some of just the newly-weds, some of Team Voltron, and some of all else at the venue.

Once mostly everyone went home, Shiro pulled Adam aside and looked out to the sunset.

"Y'know... I never would've imagined I'd get a second chance at many things. Never thought I'd escape imprisonment and find Keith and the Blue Lion. I never thought I'd die and come back either. Nor did I ever let myself believe I'd... that I'd get a second chance with you. Of all things I was starting to lose hope for, it was us."

"And why was that? Don't you know how stubborn I can be? If you need a reminder, I walked Keith to that weird ass shack in the desert every day and every night because he  _insisted_ he saw Mothman there. Mothman. It was the first thing I did each day and the last thing. I did it because I wanted to prove a point that he wasn't real, but nooo, Keith just  _had_ to be persistent about it."

"Guess it's fighting fire with fire, huh?"

They both laughed, looking over their shoulders to see Keith glaring at them. He was far enough away not to hear them, but he could only assume what they were talking about. It was his version of Spidey-senses-- his trash talk senses.

Adam leaned into Shiro, the Altean arm wrapped around his shoulders. It felt odd that there was an empty space even if he felt something there. An energy, keeping the arm connected to the shoulder. It was strange, but he didn't mind it anymore. "We finally made it."

"Yeah, we did."

"After calling it off the first time, you getting abducted, both of us getting sucked into a war, winning that war... We finally got the life we dreamed of."

"It was a rough journey every step of the way. One hell of a ride. But it was worth it, Adam, it honestly was. I'm yours and you're mine and there's no other way I'd have it."

Adam snorted, "Not even if it meant you'd have your arm back?"

"Baby, I would lose a hundred arms over and over again if it meant I'd end up with you," Shiro smirked. His attempt at coolness was... brave.

"Let's be glad you only have two arms, then. A hundred seems a bit much."

 

A silence fell upon them, a comforting one. It wasn't completely shutting out the background noise of their friends-- their family --laughing and chatting, yet it was enough to make them feel alone together. Adam was the first to say it. In a whisper that Shiro barely heard.

"I love you," he said.

And Shiro? Shiro played one more attempt at being cool, trying to be Han Solo.

"I know."

**Author's Note:**

> writing this first chapter was... difficult. not because of the story itself, but because i'm in this group chat for a club at my school and we were arguing over who is the best hero from Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia). it was a group call and i sWEAR-- we couldn't stop laughing because people kept voting Mineta or other shit like Koji or the off-brand Kirishima dude, Tetsutetsu i think.


End file.
